BRITISH BIRDS. 65 



on small branches against trunk ot a tree, or on a 

 horizontal limb at a height of from five to twenty feet ; 

 sometimes in ivy or creepers, or in holes in trees or walls ; 

 I have found it built like a chaffinch's in the fork of a bush; 

 it is composed of moss, dry grass, hair and feathers, lined 

 with hair, feathers, fine strips of inner bark, and often 

 small pieces of cast snake's-skin. Eggs : 3 to 5 ; dull 

 white, tinged with pale bluish-green and spotted or blotched 

 with dull rusty -red, with underlying spots of pale purple ; 

 size, *75 by '56. Food consists of insects taken on the 

 wing ; flight is noiseless and circling, the bird returning 

 constantly to the same perch. Call note, a weak shrill 

 chirp, but seldom heard. 



79. Museieapa atrieapilla, Linn. PIED FLYCATCHER. 



Hab. Europe, north to lat. 70 in Norway, but local 

 in many parts, in winter migrating to Africa. 



Male : forehead white ; rump dusky-grey ; remaining 

 upper plumage blackish ; secondaries with broad white 

 outer margins forming a conspicuous patch on the wing ; 

 two outer tail-feathers each side slightly margined with 

 white ; lower plumage white ; bill and tarsi black. Length 

 5 i o. In autumn upper parts are brownish-black. Female : 

 upper parts dull brown ; white on forehead and wings, 

 tinged with brown ; under [parts brownish-white. Young 

 birds, after autumn moult, resemble female. 



Locally common from May to September in North of 

 England and in Wales but seldom breeding in the south 

 or east ; in Scotland breeds sparingly in the south ; in 

 Ireland five stragglers have been taken. Nest : placed in 

 holes in trees or walls ; loosoly composed of dry grass, 

 moss, fine roots, feathers and hair. Eggs : 5 to 8 ; pale blue ; 

 like Redstarts but paler, more oval, and slightly smaller; 



