206 DENTIROSTRES. 



parents : we have seen a little family thus attended until dusk 

 in the evening. 



This species is said to be commonly met with all over 

 England ; we are disposed to think they chiefly abound in 

 the more wooded parts, as their nests have been very often 

 brought to us, when residing in a country of that description ; 

 but we have met with them far less frequently in situations 

 where agriculture had deprived the surface of the earth of its 

 more natural appearance of wood and heath, or where the na- 

 ture of the country was barren and unsheltered. This is, per- 

 haps, the cause of the Spotted Fly-catcher being more rare in 

 Scotland than in Ireland. According to Temminck, this 

 species is found in Sweden, and in Russia, in the temperate 

 parts ; it is also widely-diffused over other parts of Europe, 

 as well as Africa. 



In adult plumage the garb of the Spotted Fly-catcher is very 

 simple and plain. The whole upper parts are hair-brown, in- 

 clining to grey ; the quill and tail-feathers rather darker, as 

 well as the tertials ; these latter bordered with lighter brown. 

 On the crown of the head the feathers have a dark brown spot 

 along the shaft ; the throat and centre of the belly are blu- 

 ish-white ; the flanks and under coverts of the wings tinged 

 with yellowish-brown ; the sides of the neck, breast, and 

 flanks are streaked with hair-brown ; the legs are short, and 

 the feet small, and in colour bluish-black. 



The young birds of the year differ little from the adult, 

 except in the edges of the tertial feathers, which are rufous- 

 brown, and spots of a similar colour occupy the tips of the 

 larger wing-coverts. The beak is dusky, the base of the 

 under mandible yellowish-brown, the inside and corners of 

 the mouth yellow ; the iris dusky. 



The entire length of this bird is rather less than six inches ; 

 the wing measures three inches and a quarter ; the tarsus 

 seven lines, the middle toe and claw about as much. 



