346 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on Birds as a Factor in the 



to my chagrin, a Spotted Flycatcher {Muscicapa 

 grisola) darted from a fence and caught it " : A. H. 

 Hamm,"Nature,"ixv,1902,p.366 (England).— (e) "On 

 July 21st [1904] we saw at Evian-les-Bains (France) 

 a spotted flycatcher catch a brown butterfly, almost 

 certainly Upincjyhele jurti7ia" : Alfred Sich, " Entom. 

 Rec," 1904, p. 268.— (/) "After a storm a grey fly- 

 catcher darted at a flying white butterfly (Cabbage 

 White ?). At the second attack it seemed to have 

 damaged the butterfly's wings, for the latter, in spite 

 of all its fluttering, came nearer to the ground. It was 

 only at the third attempt that the bird succeeded in 

 catching the butterfly, which it immediately swallowed 

 whole": A Holscber, " 111. Zeits. Ent.," 1899, p. 91 

 (Osnabriick).— (r/) "Aug. 23, 1903. Fellows' Garden, 

 Wadham College [Oxford]. Saw a flycatcher seize 

 and fly off with a white butterfly on the wing. After 

 being carried for a little distance the butterfly escaped 

 and was chased by the flycatcher, which made four 

 or five ineffectual attempts at recapture, at each of 

 which I distinctly heard the snap of the bird's beak. 

 The chase disappeared behind trees, and I did not 

 see the result; my impression is that the butterfly 

 escaped " : Dr. F. A. Dixey (in litt.).—{h) " Aug. 28, 

 1903. Grounds of Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill, 

 near Loudon. Saw a flycatcher settled with what 

 appeared to be a white butterfly in its beak. In a 

 short while I saw the wings detached and fall to the 

 ground, but on searching afterwards I failed to find 

 them. The grass was long and there was a good deal 

 of undergrowth" : Dr. F. A. Dixey {in litt.). — (i) " A 

 small tortoiseshell butterfly, which had been weakened 

 by fluttering in a window, on being liberated was at 

 once pounced upon and eaten by a flycatcher " : E. T. 

 Daubeny, " Nature Notes," October 1905, p. 197.— (/) 

 " This summer (1905) a pair of Flycatchers {Muscicapa 

 grisola) nested in a garden belonging to a friend of 

 mine. I saw this bird catch, kill and eat Pieris rapae $. 

 One specimen only was attacked, and this happened 

 to pass close to the bird's favourite seat " : W. 

 Parkinson Curtis (letter to Prof Poulton, 22, ix, '05). 

 — (/j) " On July 30 [1907], as I was walking with 

 Col. Coussmaker [in Surrey], I saw a flycatcher {M. 

 grisola) swoop low over the gi-ass and return to its 



