THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS 49 



indigestible insect cases, and are ejected by the fly- 

 chaser. 



By the side of the stream is a disused shed, 

 its rafters cobweb-covered and decayed; sparrows 

 have their nests under the eaves, and starlings in 

 the loopholes; mice rustle in the straw. Frequently 

 has the grey-brown bird flown into the doorless shed, 

 and, entering, I find its nest just within an angle of 

 the beam. The site of the nest and one of its con- 

 stituents gives two provincial names to the fly- 

 catcher " beam-bird " and " cobweb-bird." In 

 addition to these it is called bee-bird, post-bird, 

 rafter, cherry-chopper, and others. Bee-bird and 

 cherry-chopper are expressive enough, though the 

 inference implied by the latter is absolutely false. 

 Where brightly-running streams cross the path the 

 spotted fly-catcher is generally common. Often, 

 whilst flogging the trout streams, have I lazily 

 allowed my flies to drift down, my notice having 

 been attracted by a fly-catcher plying its silent trade 

 from the overhanging boughs opposite. 



The rare and locally distributed pied fly-catcher 

 is just as interesting a bird as its spotted brown 

 cousin. Like the latter it haunts the timbered 

 banks of trout streams, and from the overhanging 

 boughs secures its insect food. Its white-barred 

 black head is plainly seen in its aerial flutterings, 

 and it is certainly a beautiful species. It is probably 



