334 



PASSERES. BIRDS. MCSCICAPID.E. 



of the bill, the outer webs of the tertial wing feathers, 

 and of a portion of those of the tail white ; the female is 

 brown above and dull white beneath, and is destitute of 

 the white spot on the forehead. In its general habits 

 this bird resembles the Spotted Flycatcher ; but its 

 nest, which is loosely made of grass and roots, is placed 

 in the hole of a decayed oak or other pollard tree. The 

 eggs, of which these are sometimes as many as eight in 

 one nest, are of a uniform pale blue colour. 



THE AMERICAN REDSTART (Setophaga ruticUla). 

 This bird, which is a summer visitor to the United 

 States, has received the name of Redstart from its 

 resemblance to the European birds so called, although 

 its characters and habits are very different It is 

 nearly allied to the preceding species ; the.total length 

 is about five inches ; the colour of the plumage on the 

 back, head, neck, and the upper part of the breast is 

 black; the wings have a broad orange band across 

 them, and the quills from thence to the tip are brownish; 

 the belly is white ; the four middle feathers of the tail 

 are black, and the remainder orange with black tips. 

 The female is of an ashy-olive colour above, and dull 

 white beneath ; she wants the orange band across the 

 wing, and has the middle tail feathers brown, and the 

 others greenish-yellow. 



This bird, according to Wilson, is one of the most 

 expert of Flycatchers. It will pursue " a retreating 

 party of flies from the tops of the tallest trees, in an 

 almost perpendicular, but zigzag direction, to the 

 ground, while the clicking of its bill is distinctly 

 heard ;" and Wilson adds that it no doubt secures 

 ten or twelve flies in a descent of three or four seconds. 

 Its nest is built in a low bush, where it is attached 

 to two twigs ; it is composed of flax moistened with the 

 saliva of the bird, and lined with soft down. The 

 eggs are white, speckled with gray and black. 



THE PARADISE FLYCATCHER* (Tchitrea parodist). 

 This elegant species is found in all parts of India 

 and in Ceylon. The male measures about twenty inches 

 in length ; but two-thirds of this is due to the great 

 elongation of the two middle feathers of the tail, which 

 are about fifteen inches long ; these long feathers are 

 wanting in the female. The head, which is adorned 

 with a small pointed crest, and the neck are greenish- 

 black ; the body is white, and the wings and tail streaked 

 with black. It is abundant in the woods and dense 

 jungle, and is restless in its habits, feeding upon insects, 

 which it captures in the air as it flits about, making a 

 loud snap with its bill as it seizes its prey. 



THE BLACK FAN-TAILED FLYCATCHER (RMpidura 

 motacilloides). This bird, which is distributed over all 

 parts of the Australian continent, is remarkable for its 

 long and broad tail, which it spreads out into a fan, 

 thus acquiring an elegant appearance. It is of a glossy 

 black colour, with the wings brown, the lower surface, 

 except the throat, and a small streak over each eye, 

 pure white. It is a lively, active, and familiar bird, 

 haunting the neighbourhood of the houses, and seeking 

 for its insect food, not only in the gardens, but also 

 about the cattle, upon the backs of which it will fre- 

 quently alight and run along. Much of its prey is 

 sought on the ground ; then its appearance resembles 

 that of the European Wagtails ; like them, it has the 



habit of shaking its tail, but the movement is from side 

 to side, and not perpendicular. It constructs a beauti- 

 ful cup-shaped nest of dry grass, roots, and strips of 

 bark, held together by cobwebs, and usually rears two 

 or three broods in the season. 



THE WHITE-BROWED FLYCATCHER (Rhipidura 

 albofrontata), a nearly allied Indian species, is common 

 in the northern parts of the peninsula of Hindostan, 

 where it frequents both the jungle and gardens. It 

 captures much of its food upon the wing, but, like its 

 Australian relative, is sometimes seen perched upon the 

 backs of cattle. Mosquitoes constitute a great portion 

 of the diet of this bird, and hence one of its Indian 

 names signifies " Mosquito-catcher." 



THE RESTLESS FLYCATCHER (Seisura volitans) is 

 an abundant species in all the southern parts of Aus- 

 tralia, where it is known to the colonists as the " Grinder," 

 or the " Razor-grinder," from a remarkable noise which 

 it emits while engaged in the pursuit of its prey. It 

 feeds on insects, which it not only captures in the air 

 in the ordinary manner of the Flycatchers, but also by 

 flying over the fields, with regular beats of the wings, 

 like the Kestrel, and dropping perpendicularly upon 

 any insect which it perceives beneath it. The flight 

 of the bird is described as peculiarly graceful, forming 

 a striking contrast to the harsh grinding note uttered 

 by the bird. Mr. Gilbert seems to think that this note 

 is emitted for the purpose of attracting the notice of the 

 insects below ; for he observed, that, after uttering the 

 cry, the bird always descends to the ground, picks up 

 something, and carries it off to the nearest tree. 



The Restless Flycatcher is about eight inches in 

 length. The plumage is black above, and white 

 beneath, and the breast often exhibits a pink tint. 

 The nest is cup-shaped, neatly made of fine grasses 

 held together by cobwebs, and lined with fine roots, 

 and sometimes a few feathers. 



THE WHITE-EYED FLYCATCHER ( Vireo novcbora- 

 censis),is a common summer bird in the United States of 

 America, where it arrives rather early in the year from its 

 winter haunts in the West Indies and tropical America. 

 It is rather more than five niches in length, the plumage 

 of the upper parts is yellowish-olive, of the lower sur- 

 face white, with the sides of the breast yellow ; round 

 each eye is a yellow line, and near each nostril is a 

 spot of the same colour. This flycatcher is an active, 

 lively, and sociable little bird, possessing a strong voice, 

 and a song of considerable variety. It builds a neat 

 nest in the form of an inverted cone, suspended by the 

 upper edge ; the materials of which the nest is com- 

 posed, are fragments of rotten wood, dry stalks, and 

 similar articles, and it is remarkable that, amongst 

 these, pieces of paper are almost always found, 

 Wilson says that the bird exhibits so great a predi- 

 lection for fragments of newspapers, that some of his 

 friends gave it the name of the Politician. The mate- 

 rials of the nest are held together with the silk of some 

 caterpillars, and the lining consists of fine dry grass 

 and hair. 



THE RED-EYED FLYCATCHER ( Vireo olivaceus). This 

 and the preceding species belong to a small group of 

 Flycatchers peculiar to America, and to which the 

 name of Grcenlets has been given, from the prevalence 



