50 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



well as on the under parts : this I believe to be 

 common to both the young males and females. 



The eggs have a sort of light greenish ground, 

 with darker spots, making a sort of broad zone near 

 the larger end: some have a more rufous tinge, 

 both in the ground colour and the spots. Hewitson 

 says the zone of spots is sometimes near the narrow 

 end : I have never seen this variety myself. 



Family MUSCICAPID^. 



Of the family of Flycatchers I am only able to 

 include two in this list, out of the four now usually 

 considered as British. 



SPOTTED FLYCATCHER, Muscicapa grisola. The 

 Spotted Flycatcher, though by no means one of the 

 earliest, may be considered one of our most numerous 

 summer visitors. I have generally noted the appear- 

 ance of this bird in these parts between the 4th and 

 the 9th of May : its stay is short with us, as it leaves 

 again earlier than many other of our summer birds. 

 It is a most familiar little bird, frequenting our 

 gardens, and making its nest in the creepers against 

 our houses, and in our summer-houses. 



I once found a Spotted Flycatcher's nest in a 

 summer-house, on a little corner of matting that 

 had accidentally been twisted down : this, however, 



