WAGTAILS, FLYCATCHERS, ETC. 49 



small for them, and often one fancied two 

 of them must inevitably have been smothered, 

 as they were quite hidden under the other 

 three. Even after they could see there was 

 some confusion during the heat of the day; 

 but it was one of the prettiest sights imagin- 

 able when they were tucked in for the night ; 

 all five heads with their sharp little beaks and 

 bright black eyes were arranged in perfect 

 order, all looking together in the same direc- 

 tion out of the nest. People in the village 

 call these birds by the name of " old man," 

 and it seems expressive, somehow peculiarly 

 appropriate to their greyish colouring and 

 quiet unobtrusive manners. 



For five years running a pair of flycatchers 

 built in a fork of a thick ivy-stem on the old 

 church tower. They chose a most exposed 

 place by the side of a walk trodden by dozens 

 of visitors to the church nearly every day of 

 the summer. The first time we noticed it (in 

 1894) the nest was so low and so exposed 

 that nothing could save it. In 1895, when it 

 was placed higher up and better concealed, 

 the young were successfully reared. In 1896 

 they chose a position actually not more than 

 three feet from the ground, and yet, mar- 

 vellous to relate, owing to watchful care on 

 the part of human friends, and the continual 

 replacing of a screen of ivy leaves, they 

 scored another success. In 1897, though the 

 site was higher up and apparently much safer, 



