376 The Zoologist — September, 1866. 



branches of two neighbouring trees, or in a fork of the branches." — ■ 

 Temminck, i. 158. "The moult of this species is single, but the 

 colours of the plumage, especially of the under parts, change periodi- 

 cally, from the same cause as those of Muscicapa grisola and M. 

 albicollis. Muscicapa parva and rufogularis of Brehm, Vog. Deut. p. 

 227. Atlas du Manuel, pi. lithog., the male in spring. Naum. Nalurg. 

 Neue Ausg. pi. 65, fig. 3, the young bird of the year. Inhabits the 

 neighbourhood of Vienna, but it is not common : it is more abundant 

 in Hungary. It has just the appearance of the Redbreast, which it 

 resembles in the tints of its plumage ; it also possesses the warbling 

 song of that bird." — Temminck, iii. 85. We are indebted to Mr. 

 Gould for making known to us the addition of this interesting little 

 bird to the avi-fauna of Britain ; all that is known respecting it is 

 recorded by Mr. E. H, Rodd in the ' Zoologist ;' the first notice is in 

 the volume for 1863, at p. 8444 : — "The following communication, 

 which I received from Mr. Gould, enables me to add the above inte- 

 resting and (to Western Europe) rare species to our Coraish list of 

 birds: — 'Strange to say, on the very day I visited Falmouth one of 

 the rarest of European birds was shot for the first time in Great 

 Britain, and, it being killed in Cornwall, 1 thought you would like to 

 know something about it. The bird in question is the Muscicapa 

 parva, and you will find figures of it in Part 14 of my ' Birds of 

 Europe,' which you have in the Penzance Museum. The plates will 

 at once give you an idea of this prttty species (a robin amongst the 

 flycatchers). I certainly never expected this singular bird to have 

 been added to our Fauna. This occasional lateral migration of birds 

 is very singular : the proper home of the species is Western India 

 or the eastern parts of Europe. The specimen was sent in the flesh 

 to Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, and in this state I had it in my 

 hands, so that there is no mistake about it. The bird was in good 

 condition, thanks to your genial climate. The bird was shot on the 

 24th of January, by Mr. Copeland, of Carwythenack House, in the 

 parish of Constantine, near Falmouth, and is a female. Unfortunately 

 the specimen was placed in some insecure place, and the head was 

 eaten by mice or rats, so that the body alone was sent to the Museum. 

 If you write to Mr. Copeland, ask him to look out for the male, which 

 will have a red breast.' I wrote at once to Mr. Copeland, whose atten- 

 tion to Natural History, and whose especial interest in observing the 

 ornithological rarities in our county, I felt sure would ensure an 

 accurate account of the capture of this little wanderer i and I received 



