THE PIED FLYCATCHER. l6l 



met with this bird for the first time in his neigh- 

 bourhood, and the following communication from 

 him on the subject was published in the natural 

 history columns of "The Field," on the ist of 

 May, 1875: — "It may interest some of your 

 ornithological readers to learn that a Pied Fly- 

 catcher {Muscicapa atricapilla) visited this ex- 

 treme western locality on the i8th of April. 

 My attention was first attracted by seeing it 

 catching insects in the true flycatcher style ; but, 

 thinking it rather strange that our common 

 Spotted Flycatcher should appear a month or six 

 weeks earlier than usual, I watched it attentively 

 for some time. It then struck me as having a 

 smaller head and closer plumage than the spotted 

 one, and occasionally I thought I observed some 

 white marks on the wings ; but, the evening 

 light just fading, I could not be quite certain of 

 the white marks. Although knowing it to be a 

 flycatcher, I was not satisfied as to its identity, 

 so next morning I returned to that part of my 

 lawn where I had seen it the night befofe, and 

 again saw it hard at work ; but now having 



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