32 THE FLY-CATCHER. 



martins and red-wing fieldfares were flying in sight 

 together; an uncommon assemblage of summer 

 and winter birds ! 



A little yellow bird (it is either a species of the 

 alauda trivialis, or rather, perhaps, of the mota- 

 cilla trochilus) still continues to make a sibilous 

 {shivering noise in the tops of tall woods. The 

 stoparola of Ray (for which we have as yet no 

 name in these parts) is called, in your Zoology, the 

 fly-catcher. There is one circumstance charac- 

 teristic of this bird, which seems to have escaped 

 observation ; 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. 



I perceive there are more than one species of the 

 motadlla trochilus : Mr. Derham supposes, in Ray's 

 Philosophical Letters, that he has discovered three. 

 In these, there is again an instance of some 

 very common birds that have as yet no English 

 name. 



Mr. Stillingfleet makes a question whether the 

 black-cap (motadlla atricapilla) be a bird of passage 

 or not. I think there is no doubt of it ; for, in 

 April, in the first fine weather, they come troop- 

 ing all at once into these parts,' but are never seen 

 in the winter. They are delicate songsters. 



Numbers of snipes breed every summer in some 

 moory ground on the verge of this parish. It is 

 very amusing to see the cock bird on wing at 

 that time, and to hear his piping and humming 

 notes. 



I have had no opportunity yet of procuring any 

 of those mice which I mentioned to you in town. 

 The person that brought me the last says they are 

 plenty in harvest, at which time I will take care 



