104 PASSERES. MUSCICAPAD.E. 



are abundant; the manner in which these are 

 taken is well described by White of Selborne, 

 in his tenth Letter to Pennant. " There is," 

 he observes, " one circumstance characteristic of 

 this bird, which seems to have escaped observa- 

 tion, and that is, it takes its stand on the top of 

 some stake or post, from whence it springs forth 

 on its prey, catching a fly in the air, and hardly 

 ever touching the ground, but returning still to 

 the same stand for many times together." From 

 this circumstance it is in some of the rural dis- 

 tricts of England known as the " Post-bird." A 

 dead branch, or the projecting twig of a tree, or 

 the summit of a tall bush, or the angle of the roof 

 of a house, is also not unfrequently chosen as the 

 watch-post, the object being to secure a com- 

 manding range of observation on the surround- 

 ing air. The captured insect is never swallowed 

 on the wing, but is held for a few seconds in the 

 beak even after the return to the post. Insects 

 have been supposed to be exclusively the food of 

 this species, yet Sir William Jardine, whose ac- 

 curacy of observation cannot be questioned, ex- 

 pressly asserts that he has occasionally seen it eat 

 ripe cherries. 



The Flycatcher is one of the least musical of 

 British birds ; its only note is a weak monotonous 

 chirp or click ; and this is uttered only while the 

 season of incubation continues. The utterance, 

 however, such as it is, frequently betrays the 

 presence of the nest, which might else remain 

 undiscovered. 



The preparations for the bringing up of their 

 family are commenced by the Flycatchers imme- 

 diately on their arrival ; for they have no time 



