184 MUSCICAPIDJI. 



against a building. Of three cup-shaped nests now before 

 me, one is formed on the outside of old dark-coloured 

 moss, mixed with roots, the lining of grass stems, with 

 only two or three white feathers ; the second has the bot- 

 tom and outside of fresh green moss, lined with a few grass 

 bents, long horse-hairs, and several mottled feathers, appa- 

 rently those of a Turkey ; the third is similar to the last 

 on the outside, but lined with long horse-hairs, wool, and 

 feathers. The labour and art bestowed by birds on the 

 construction of their nests have long been the theme of ad- 

 miration ; but the state of vegetation at the nest-building 

 season of the year, and the care manifested by birds gene- 

 rally in selecting a place of security, render it difficult to 

 obtain a sight of the nest-makers when at work. From 

 what has been observed, however, it is believed that the 

 female is generally the nest-builder ; the male collects and 

 brings to her the materials required : long stems of grass, 

 or long horse-hairs, are interwoven by the bird fixing in 

 one end, and then traversing the edge of the nest, lays in 

 the remainder as she makes circle after circle. A female 

 bird has been seen going backward round the upper edge 

 of the nest, arranging the materials which formed the inner 

 lining. The eggs of the Spotted Flycatcher are four or 

 five in number, about nine lines in length by seven lines 

 in breadth ; the ground colour white tinged with blue, and 

 spotted with pale red. White says, the female while sit- 

 ting on the eggs is fed by the male even as late as nine 

 o'clock at night. 



This bird has no power of voice beyond a chirping call 

 note. 



A curious circumstance in reference to this bird has been 

 noticed by Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq., the President 

 of the Horticultural Society. A Flycatcher built in his 

 stove several successive years. He observed that the bird 



