868 The Zoologist — August, 1867. 



prosecuting the search after the pied flycatcher for some days. On 

 the 2nd of July gave up an afternoon for that purpose. Was informed 

 I should probably find them in the plantations skirting the foot of 

 Silver-how ; and was not disappointed, first finding a beautiful male, 

 hawking for flies from a rail-top : his manner of capturing them was 

 peculiar, sometimes taking one on the wing, but generally flying down 

 amongst the long grass, clinging for an instant to some bent, or flower- 

 stalk, and picking off an insect, between each capture returning to the 

 rail-top. The colours of the bird are so clearly marked, and show so 

 strong a contrast, as to lead to its instant recognition, even at a con- 

 siderable distance. A little higher up on this fell-side found a male 

 and female with four young ones : the parent birds were hard at work 

 catching insects for their family, perched on the adjoining bushes: 

 one little fellow was bathing himself in a pool of water below the tall 

 fern-fronds, seemingly deriving intense pleasure from the operation ; 

 another was foraging on his own account, sitting in the midst of an 

 hazel, and picking the small flies from off the bright green leaves. The 

 old birds seldom took a fly on the wing, either alighting for that pur- 

 pose for an instant on the ferns and grasses, or, clinging to the bole of 

 some tree, would pick out the insects from the interstices of the bark : 

 observed them do this repeatedly, both from the oak and the smoother 

 bark of the birch. All this passed within a few yards, as I lounged 

 against the railings ; I might indeed have been part of the fence, so 

 little did they heed my presence, often alighting within a dozen feet. 

 They are a smaller bird than the spotted flycatcher. In the female 

 the colours are not as distinctly marked as in the male : the young 

 birds might easily be mistaken for those of the spotted flycatcher : the 

 quills and tail are dark or black-brown ; a portion of the outer tail- 

 feathers white; centre of wings dull gray, showing, when the wings 

 are closed, a broad indistinct gray streak, in the place of the pure white 

 of the adult; upper parts brown ; under parts dull gray, on the neck 

 and breast streaked with wood-brown. In the adult the pure white on 

 the secondaries and primaries, when the wings are closed, contrasting 

 with the black back, gives the bird the appearance of wearing a black 

 mantle with a broad white border. 



Ring Ouzel. — Common on the higher fells ; observed several young 

 birds during the last week in June. 



Redstart. — Next to the spotted flycatcher the most frequently met 

 with of any of our summer visitors, and may be seen as far up ou the 

 fells as any trees or brushwood are found. 



