PIED FLYCATCHER. 149 



ing to its favourite breeding haunts, and for the frequency 

 with which it makes choice of curious sites for its nest. The 

 records of these are too voluminous for more than one or two 

 instances to be cited, viz. : one mentioned by John Atkinson 

 {"Compendium of Ornithology," 1820), built on the angle 

 of a lamp-post in one of the streets in Leeds, where young 

 were brought off ; and in the spring of 1880, a pair nested 

 on the hinge of a door in constant use opening into a tennis- 

 court at Masham, but in spite of disturbance the birds 

 contrived to hatch five eggs and rear their brood in safety. 

 Near Harrogate a nest described by Mr. R. Fortune, was 

 built of strips of paper, and lined in the usual manner. 



A variety of this species obtained near Wath-upon-Dearne 

 in August 1870, is described by Dr. H. Payne as having 

 41 the upper plumage and tail whitish fawn, the under parts 

 nearly white." At Croft-on-Tees a clutch of unspotted eggs 

 was found in 1890. 



The vernacular names at present in use are Grey 

 Flycatcher, Bee-bird, and Wall-chat, the latter term known 

 in north Yorkshire. The old and now obsolete names 

 which were applied to it by old writers were Wall-bird or 

 Beam-bird, and Rafter or Rafter-bird (Swainson). 



PIED FLYCATCHER. 



Muscicapa atricapilla (L,). 



Summer visitant ; very local in its distribution ; fairly numerous 

 'ii some districts ; is noticed on the coast on both the vernal and 

 autumnal migrations. 



Thomas Allis's Report, written in 1844, contains the 

 first allusion to this as a county species : 



Muscicapa arctuosa. Pied Flycatcher Dr. Farrar says this 

 species is one of our latest summer visitants, and quite local in its 

 habitat. The Stainborough Woods are a very favourite resort, 

 especially frequenting the lofty oaks with which these woods abound, 

 but I never saw it without the Park enclosure. It has bred at Danby 

 near Middleham ; 2, Wharncliffe, 3, Ovenden, Harewood, and Studley. 

 W. Eddison says it bred at Dalton for several successive years, when 



