232 THE SPOTTED PLY-CATCHER. 



brownish black ; and the iris, dusky. Length to end of tail, 

 6y 2 2 inches; extent of wings, 10 J inches. The female is less, 

 but of the same colour. 



This is one of our latest summer visitors, seldom coming 

 before the latter end of May, when the trees are in complete 

 foliage and the insects (on which it feeds) in full play. 

 Although it catches its prey on the wing with great dexterity, 

 it does not, like the swallows, catch them by constant flying, 

 but by short sallies from its perch. It is distributed through- 

 out Britain. It frequents woods, plantations, and orchards. 

 Like all insect catchers its flight is easy and rapid, but in 

 pursuit of its prey seldom flies far. It selects a twig, froni 

 which it sallies and returns. Its food consists chiefly of the 

 dipterous order of insects, although it has been accused of feeding 

 on cherries and bees — wrongfully I think, and mistaken for the 

 greater petty chaps. For this, however, it is sometimes called 

 " cherry-chopper" and " bee-bird," but I never saw it thus 

 engaged, and believe it to be what its name implies — a consis- 

 tent fly-catcher. 



I have seen it catching flies. It darts like an arrow from its 

 perch, and usually catches them with a snapping sound of its 

 Dill. Sometimes it ascends or drops on them with great 

 rapidity, or hovers with fluttering wings above them like a 

 kestrel over a mouse, or a tern above a sand eel. Like the 

 swallows, it conies to us in full plumage, having moulted in 

 warmer climes before coming ; but before it leaves the feathers 

 become abraided and the brown spots on the head more 

 distinct. 



It builds its nest in a hole of a wall or fork of a tree, but 

 generally on a branch of a fruit tree trained against the wall ; 

 sometimes on beams in outhouses. It is small and compact ; 

 4 J inches in diameter and 2 \ inches inside. If against a wall 

 part of the outer frame is awanting, but the inside is perfect. 

 The outside is composed of roots and dried grass and moss ; the 

 inside lined with hair and feathers. The eggs are four or five, 

 and vary much in colour — generally bluish white, something 

 like the whin-sparrow's, but less; sometimes faintly spotted 

 with pale brown. Are very like the redstart's. It is a late 

 breeder. It has been observed to begin building its nest 

 on the 22nd of June, and complete it in a day and a half. 

 Mr Weir, of Durham, says : — " A pair nestled in his garden for 

 twelve successive years upon the lowest branch of one of the 

 wall trees. At seven o'clock on Thursday morning, the 22nd of 



