THE SPOTTED FLY-CATCHER. 39 



built of twigs, moss, fibrous roots, or any similar material, 

 and is lined with down, horsehair, feathers, or cobwebs. 

 The birds make little or no attempt to conceal their habita- 

 tion, and exhibit great partiality to the same situation, 

 using some favourite spot many seasons in succession. 

 The Fly-catcher builds in a variety of places, amongst the 

 creeping shrubs that adorn the trellis-work of verandahs, 

 on the beam of some garden tool -house or shed, in the 

 sides of faggot stacks, and frequently between a wall 

 and a tree trained against it. The parent birds take but 

 little notice of the presence of passers-by, or persons who 

 may be engaged in work in their immediate neighbour- 

 hood. The eggs number four or five, they are of a greenish 

 or greyish white, spotted, blotched, and clouded with 

 various shades of yellowish-brown or greyish-red. Some 

 eggs are so richly covered with spots as to almost hide the 

 ground colour; others have the markings confined to a 

 zone round the large end ; others are more evenly marked, 

 and clouded with a faint roseate tinge. The young birds 

 receive the most assiduous attention from their parents 

 until they are quite capable of providing for themselves. 



In plumage the Spotted Fly-catcher is very plain and 

 unobtrusive. The beak is flatted, and rather broad at the 

 base, which is surrounded by a few bristles. Iris is dark 

 brown ; head brown ; crown spotted with a darker 

 colour ; sides of the neck streaked with brown ; chin and 

 throat a dull white, the latter being streaked with brown ; 

 breast a dull white, tinged at sides with yellowish-brown ; 

 back a light brown ; tail slightly forked, of a brown colour, 

 somewhat lighter at the tip; legs, toes, and claws dusky black. 



There is very little difference in the appearance of the 

 sexes, but the young birds present a somewhat speckled 



