SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 65 



ham. Hall), in the same county, on the 10th of May, 

 1860. Messrs. Paget also refer to one killed at Brad- 

 well, Suffolk, in April, 1829. 



MUSCICAPA GEISOLA, Linnaeus. 

 SPOTTED FLYCATCHEK. 



One of our latest though most common summer 

 visitants, appearing generally in May, and leaving, with 

 its young, early in autumn. From its frequent habit of 

 placing its nest on the branch of a wall fruit tree, this 

 Flycatcher is here locally termed the "wall bird," and 

 its habits are too well known to need much description. 

 Though plain in plumage, and by no means endowed 

 with song, yet its useful and energetic pursuit of insect 

 food, and tameness when unmolested in our gardens and 

 orchards, renders it a general favourite. Perched on a 

 stake or iron fencing, or the end of a projecting branch, 

 it darts off after the flies as they come within range, and 

 again and again returns to the same spot, and in autumn 

 the old birds may be seen in constant motion, supplying 

 the wants of a small family, ranged side by side on a gate 

 or railing ; the more precocious occasionally imitating 

 their parents, by trying a little fly-catching on their 

 own account. A remarkable instance of the pertinacity 

 of this species in the choice of a nesting place occurred 

 at Catton Park in the summer of 1858, the very 

 interesting particulars of which were thus described by 

 Mr. Gurney in the " Zoologist," p. 6238 : " About the 

 end of June last, a spotted fly-catcher began to build a 

 nest over the door of the lodge at the entrance of my 

 grounds. The woman who lives in the lodge, not wish- 

 ing the bird to build there, destroyed the commence- 

 ment of the nest ; every day for a week the bird placed 

 new materials on the same ledge over the door, and 

 K 



