22 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



inountain-ash : much of its food is obtained on the wing, either by repeated sallies 

 into the air, by hawking low down over the meadows, or hovering in front of old 

 walls, or manure heaps. 



As this species rarely has eggs before the beginning of June, and usually 

 leaves this country in September, it is not surprising that it is single-brooded. 



Mr. Gurney's experience of the perseverance with which this species adheres 

 to a building site was published many years since in the " Zoologist " ; but never- 

 theless is sufficiently interesting to bear repeating here ; he says : " About the 

 end of June last, a Spotted Flycatcher 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 

 wishing the bird to build there, destroyed the commencement of the nest ; every 

 day for a week the bird placed new materials on the same ledge over the door, 

 and every day the woman removed them, and, at the end of the' week, placed a 

 stone on the ledge, which effectually baffled the Flycatcher's efforts at that spot ; 

 but the bird then began building at the latter end of the ledge, from whence it 

 was also driven, and three stones being then placed on the ledge, the bird relin- 

 quished the attempt to build at either end of it, and commenced building a nest 

 on a beech-tree opposite, which it completed, and laid two eggs in it. When the 

 bird was thus apparently established in the beech-tree, the stones over the door 

 were taken away, when the Flycatcher immediately forsook its nest and eggs in 

 the beech, and again commenced building over the door on the part of the pro- 

 jecting ledge, which it had first chosen. The nest was again destroyed, and two 

 slates placed over the spot ; the bird contrived to throw down one of the slates 

 from a slanting to a horizontal position, and then began to build upon it. The 

 nest was again destroyed, and the three stones replaced and kept there a fortnight, 

 after which they were again removed, and, directly they were taken away, the bird 

 again began building. The nest was subsequently destroyed several times in 

 succession ; the bird was twice driven away by a towel being thrown at it ; a stone 

 wrapped in white paper was placed on the ledge to intimidate it, but the Flycatcher 

 still persevered, completed a nest, and laid an egg. On hearing the circumstances 

 I directed that the persecution of the poor bird should cease, after which it laid 

 two more eggs, hatched all three, and successfully brought off its brood." 



Some years since a young Spotted Flycatcher was brought to me ; it had 

 flown against a lamp, was temporarily stunned, and a lad picked it up without 

 difficulty. I tried to keep it, but it refused to feed, as most birds do after they 

 have left the nest, and, although I forced it to eat, it died the next day : perhaps 

 I lost nothing by the death of this bird ; for the Flycatchers are not especially 

 suited to cage or aviary life, are neither attractive in plumage or song, and are 



