NATURAL HISTORY OP SELBORNE. 



of Ray (for which we have as yet no name in these parts) is called 

 in your zoology the 

 fly- catcher. There is 

 one circumstance 

 characteristic of this 

 bird which seems to 

 have escaped obser- 

 vation, and that is, it 

 takes its stand on the 



THE SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER {Muscicapa grisola). 



top of some stake or 

 post, from whence it 

 springs forth on its 

 prey, catching a fly 

 in the air, and hardly 

 ever touching the 

 ground, but returning 

 still to the same stand 

 for many times to- 

 gether. 



I perceive there are more than one species of the motacilla 

 trochilus. Mr. Derham supposes, in " Ray's Philos. Letters," that 

 he has discovered three. In these there is again an instance of 

 some very common birds that have as yet no English name. 



Mr. Stillingfleet makes a question whether the black-cap (mota- 

 cilla atricapilld] be a bird of passage or not 4 : I think there is no 

 doubt of it : for, in April, in the first fine weather, they come 

 trooping all at once, into these parts, but are never seen in the 

 winter. They are delicate songsters. 



Numbers of snipes breed every summer in some moory ground 

 on the verge of this parish. It is very amusing to see the cock 

 bird on wing at that time, and to hear his piping and humming 

 notes. 5 



I have had no opportunity yet of procuring any of those mice 

 which I mentioned to you in town. The person that brought me 

 the last says they are plenty in harvest, at which time I will take 

 care to get more ; and will endeavour to put the matter out of 

 doubt, whether it be a nondescript species or not. 



