50 NATURAL HISTORY 



in sight together ; an uncommon assem- 

 blage of summer and winter birds ! 



A little yellow bird (it is either a species 

 of the alauda tr'ivialu, or rather perhaps 

 of the viotacillajrochilus) still continues 

 to make a sibilous shivering noise in the 

 tops of tall woods. The stoparola of Ray 

 (for which we we have as yet no name 

 in these parts) is called, in your Zoology, 

 the fly-catcher. There is one circum- 

 stance characteristic 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 molacilla trochilus : Mr. 

 Dcr/tam supposes, in Bays Fhilos. Let- 

 ters, that he has discovered three. In 

 these there is again an instance of some 

 very common birds that have as yet no 

 English name. 



