Pied Flycatchers 71 



ought only to be regarded as quite exceptional. On 4th 

 June, then, a pair of Pied Flycatchers, in normal plumage, 

 were discovered feeding their young in the nest ; three 

 weeks later the hen was again sitting upon eggs in the same 

 nest, while the cock, in addition to his attentions upon her 

 wants, was feeding the fledged young of the first brood in 

 the vicinity of the nest. He had then lost a great deal of 

 his black coat, though still retaining a nearly white breast 

 and all his old flight feathers. A fortnight later, he was 

 still partially attending to the first brood, though they were 

 now catching insects for themselves, as well as assisting 

 his partner to feed the young in the second nest. At this 

 date he appeared to be in almost complete winter plumage, 

 though the flight feathers still remained unchanged. A 

 little later the whole party, now numbering some dozen 

 individuals, were hunting the alder and hazel copses 

 together, the last young ones in their spotted plumage, 

 the others hardly distinguishable, adults from immature. 

 Even when at his best, the male is comparatively seldom 

 met with in this country in perfect summer plumage, there 

 being generally a few brown feathers intermixed with the 

 black on the upper parts, and the amount of white on the 

 wings and forehead being subject to a good deal of variation. 

 Whether this is due to age or individual variation, or 

 whether it is only the Pied Flycatchers breeding in this 

 country that are so affected, it is not easy to say, but in 

 any case, a male killed here, when closely examined, will 

 seldom be found to reach the standard of perfection in 

 which he is usually depicted in books. 



As soon as their brood, or broods, are strong upon the 

 wing (which is not till the spotted plumage has practically 

 disappeared) the Flycatchers begin to drift away from their 

 nesting quarters, and it is then that they may be met with 

 in little flocks, in the larger valleys. The trend of their 

 drift is east, or south-east, depending on the direction of 

 the river, or the lay of the country, and, as they travel, 

 their numbers would appear to become dispersed ; for, ere 

 the east coast is reached, the party has generally become 

 so attenuated as no longer to deserve the appellation of 



