68 MUSCICAPID.E. 



flying insects. At any time during the months of June, 

 July, and August, in most country and suburban gardens, 

 one may observe perched on a railing, standard rose, or 

 the low branch of an apple-tree, a small brownish bird, 

 with a speckled breast, about the size of a sparrow, but 

 more slender in form, taking no notice of human beings, 

 but nevertheless evidently on the look out for something. 

 Suddenly it darts from its position, flies rapidly forwards 

 for a few yards, performs an evolution in the air, and 

 returns either to the exact spot which it had previously 

 occupied or to a similar one hard by. After a rest of a 

 few seconds, it performs the same manoeuvre, and always 

 with the same object and success. Every time it quitted 

 its perch, some ill-fated fly or beetle was discovered, 

 winging its way through the air, and captured to be de- 

 voured on the spot, or to form part of a pellet of insect 

 food for a hungry nestling. The nest, composed of moss, 

 straws, and hair, and lined with feathers, is usually placed 

 either against a wall, hidden by the leaves of a trained 

 fruit tree, or on the horizontal bough of a standard apple- 

 tree. During the year 1859, a pair of these birds had 

 taken up their quarters in my own garden in a situation 

 such as that first described, but becoming dissatisfied 

 with the locality even after the nest had received its 

 complement of eggs five deserted it, and built another 

 nest in an apple-tree a few yards off, choosing a position 

 on a short branch, where their workmanship was concealed 

 from the sight of passengers by a cluster of large apples. 

 The bough overhung a path by which many persons 

 passed to and fro every day ; but the nest was built, and the 

 old birds hatched their eggs, neither noticed nor noticing, 

 until one day when I happened to stop underneath, upon 

 which the bird took flight, and so revealed her place of 

 retreat. I do not mention this incident as anything re- 

 markable, but simply to exemplify the habits of the bird 

 when it has taken up its residence in a frequented garden, 



