Fishers of Flies 



THE spotted flycatcher, who spends the summer with 

 us, fishing, in a most graceful way, for flies, arrives 

 in the beautiful month of May. Once he has taken up 

 his quarters in a good place for fly-fishing, he seldom 

 moves far away, but spends his time launching himself 

 into the air from a few favourite perches. 



He is notable chiefly for his skill in catching flies on 

 the wing you may hear the sharp click of his beak 

 as it closes on its prey and for the pretty picture he 

 makes as he goes darting continuously from his perch 

 on a small circular tour through the air, occupying only 

 a moment or two. For in appearance he is very 

 modest, a sober little brown bird, ash-brown above, 

 whitish beneath, with dark spots and streaks on his 

 head, throat, and sides of the breast. And his notes 

 are mostly a quiet chirping. 



Year by year the flycatcher returns to the same 

 nesting-place. His fondness for building on the end 

 of a projecting beam has earned him the name of 

 " beam-bird." The nest is a slight structure of dry 

 grass, rootlets, moss, hair, and feathers, wherein are 

 laid five or six bluish or greenish eggs, marked with 

 faint reddish brown. We have found the first egg in a 

 flycatcher's nest as late as the end of June. 



The mother bird while sitting is fed by her mate. 



147 



