FLYING-FISH. 



511 



cure any adequate supply of food, during the severity of 

 the winter season. I should even be inclined to consi- 

 der the few individuals met with in England during the 

 summer, as birds that have been driven rather out of the 

 regular track of their polar migration ; and the follow- 

 ing fact goes far towards confirming this supposition : 

 In May, 1822, after a very severe storm of wind 

 and rain from the south east, several of these birds 

 made their appearance in Northumberland, and I 

 procured specimens of both sexes, the males being in 

 different states of progress towards the summer's 

 plumage. As the weather continued cold for some 

 days subsequent to their appearance, they were 

 obliged to resort to dunghills, and other warm situa- 

 tions, for a supply of their natural food. After remain- 

 ing for about a fortnight to recruit their strength 

 (for at first they exhibited great weakness), 

 they all disappeared ; nor could 1 ascertain that a 

 single pair remained in that neighbourhood during the 

 season of incubation. Their manners, flight, and 

 method of catching their prey, were similar to the 

 preceding species ; and they were generally mute. 

 The West Riding of Yorkshire appears to be a dis- 

 trict in which the Red Fly-catcher is oftener met with 

 than in any other part of the island. It breeds there 

 in the holes of decayed trees, forming a nest of leaves, 

 bark, and hay, lined with hair and feathers. The 

 eggs are four or five in number, of a pale bluish-green 

 colour." 



This is the species called the Beccafico or "fig-eater" 

 by the Italians ; and in that part of Europe its flesh 

 is held in estimation as an article of food. 



The Collared Fly-catcher (Muscicapa albicollis) 

 is even more remarkable than the last species, for the 

 seasonal change of plumage in the male. In his winter 

 plumage, the male is exactly like the female, namely, 

 of a grey colour, with a white band across the wings, 

 but his summer or nuptial plumage is very different 

 from this. The colours are then pure black and 

 white, very strikingly contrasted with each other ; a 

 cap on the head ; the back, the wings, and the tail, 

 are black ; and the forehead, the collar, all the under 

 part of the body, a large spot on each wing, and a 

 small one within each external edge of the tail, is 

 white. This is a small species, found in the dense 

 forests of the central parts of Europe, where it nestles 

 in the holes of trees, and is of very retired habits, and 

 very rare, or at all events, very seldom seen. Indeed, 

 it is probable, from the difficulty of exploring a forest, 

 and from the fact that, within these few years, some 

 permanently resident British kinds have been dis- 

 covered, we are ignorant of many species which are 

 in reality not rare in those places of concealment. 



Such must suffice as a specimen of the true fly- 

 catchers, for the species which inhabit Africa, Asia, 

 and the Asiatic islands, are so very numerous that the 

 list of their names would take up much space, and 

 cause little information. 



Gymnoccphalus (Bald fly-catcher, or Bald tyrant). 

 This is an American sub-genus, and has more resem- 

 blance to the tyrants than to the true fly-catchers ; 

 but there are some doubts whether it should be classed 

 exactly in this part of the system or not. Only one 

 species is known : it is a large bird about the size of 

 a crow. The general colour is reddish brown with 

 a paler tint of the same on the under part. The front 

 and nape in the mature bird are nearly naked of fea- 

 thers ; but they are feathered in the young with slen- 

 der grey feathers, having their points white. The bill, 



though considerably compressed, is angular and much 

 stronger than that of most of the present group. This 

 form of the bill, with the size of the head, and its 

 resemblance to the other members of Vieillot's genus 

 Coracina, would tend to the conclusion that it is a car- 

 rion bird rather than an insect feeder. But very little 

 is known of its habits. It is a native of the dense 

 forests in the interior of tropical America, and has 

 been but rarely seen in its native habitat. 



Ccphalopterus has also been placed in the genus 

 Coracina by Vieillot. As is the case with the former 

 there is only one known species of this, a native of 

 the forests on the banks of Amazon. It is about the 

 same size as the former, but differing from it in colour. 

 The general plumage is black, with purple arid green 

 reflections. There is a plurne of loose and floating . 

 feathers on the top of the head, which form a sort of 

 shade or awning over the front, and are variegated 

 with black and white. There is also a membranous 

 production of the skin of the throat, but with feathers 

 in branches, which hang as a sort of detached gorget. 

 The skin, which is partially seen through these fea- 

 thers, is blue ; the habits are as little known as those 

 of the former ; but, from the appearance, it is probable 

 that, like the other, it is a carrion bird, and not an 

 insect feeder. 



FLYING-FISH (Exocetus), a very singular genus 

 of soft-finned fishes, with abdominal fins ; and placed 

 by Cuvier in the pike family. They have, however, 

 sufficient peculiarities of character to entitle them to 

 some notice in a separate article. The most remark- 

 able part of their structure is the great length of the 

 pectoral fins, which are pointed, something after the 

 form of the wings of those birds which can skim 

 swiftly over the surface of the waters ; and they are 

 capable of being expanded by the separation of the 

 rays, and the consequent stretching of the connecting 

 membrane. 



Their characters are : the head and body scaly, 

 with a row of carinated scales upon each side ; their 

 head is flattened on the upper part and the sides ; the 

 dorsal fins, situated immediately over the anal, and 

 both are considerably produced, directed backwards 

 at both commencement and termination, straight on 

 their margins, of nearly equal length throughout, and 

 about equal to each other. Their ventral fins are 

 placed in advance of the centre of gravity, broader at 

 the extremity than the insertion, and having their ex- 

 tremities concave. Their eyes are large ; their under 

 jaw is the longest ; both jaws have fronted teeth, and 

 they have flattened teeth on the pharynx. They have 

 six arches in the gills, and are furnished with air- 

 bladders of copious size. 



Though from their structure they are classed in the 

 natural family as the pike, their characters and situa- 

 tion in the waters are very different from those of that 

 voracious fish. The pike lives the tyrant of the fresh 

 waters, capable of not only preying upon every other 

 fish which resides in them, but sometimes assailing the 

 aquatic birds, even the large ones, and also the mam- 

 malia which come to drink. There are no very au- 

 thentic accounts of how matters stand as to mastery 

 between the pike and the otter ; but it is possible that 

 even there, the pike may be able to keep his ground. 

 The pike is thus a master ; but, though a powerful, 

 far from a handsome one ; and in the dull and stag- 

 nant waters in which he chiefly resides, he appears to 

 be the principal one appointed for keeping down the 

 numbers of all the rest to the supply of food. 



