THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



261 



capture on the wing, and will sit for hours 

 together upon one particular branch, sally- 

 ing forth every time a fly comes in sight, 

 and returning again to the same branch. 

 20. PIED FLYCATCHER. 

 Muscicapa atricapilla, L. 

 Atricapilla. 



Size. — Length, 5 in. ; expanse, 8 in. 



Plumage. — The adult male, during the 

 breeding season, has the bill, feet, and upper 

 parts black ; a white band across the fore- 

 head ; part of the secondaries and the outer 

 tail feathers white. Eyes brown. After the 

 autumn moult the black assumes a slaty 

 brown tint, and in this state closely re- 

 sembles the female, and as such is figured 

 in Gould's great work ; but it may easily be 

 distinguished by the white band on the 

 forehead. This state of plumage only 

 lasts five or six weeks, when it becomes 

 like the female bird. 



The Adult female has the dark parts 

 slaty grey, the white duller, and the band 

 on the forehead wanting. 



The Immature bird is described as hav- 

 ing the upper parts grey as in the female, 

 but the feathers are slightly edged with 

 darker colour. Those on the rump, sides of 

 head and wing coverts, have each a pale 

 spot near the extremity ; under parts as in 

 the female. 



Note. — The note is described as a low 

 warble, commencing " zic, zic, zic," very 

 like that of the Lesser Whitethroat. 



Migration.— The Pied Flycatcher is a 

 summer visitor to these Islands, though 

 rarely observed breeding. It regularly 

 breeds in the North of England. 



Food. — The food consists of insects, 

 principally flies captured on the wing ; it is 

 also stated tc cat berries, such as currants, 

 ciders, and cherries. 



Habitat.— I' ound sparing!}- in various 

 parts of England, more p.-irticularly in tlie 

 North-west. Karc in the Eastern and middle 



counties of Scotland, and very rare in Ork- 

 ney. In Ireland it seems unknown. 



Abroad it is common in most parts of 

 Europe, but only a summer visitor to the 

 extreme north, though occuring as far as 

 Lapland. 



Nest. — The nest figured, as well as the 

 bird and eggs, is one taken by Mr. J. Varley, 

 on the river Ghelt, in Cumberland, in 1880. 

 It was built in a wall, and is composed of 

 dry grass blades and withered leaves, lined 

 with a very few horse hairs and woody fibres. 

 They will also build in hollow trees, and an 

 instance is copied into almost every book 

 on nesting, of a pair having taken forcible 

 possession of an aperture occupied by a 

 colony of bees. 



Eggs. — The eggs are four or five, very 

 rarely six in number, pale blue-green, much 

 lighter than those of the Redstart, which 

 builds in like situations. 



BRITISH MOTHS. 



By John E. Robson. 

 Genus II.— ACIIERONTIA. 

 "AcnERONTiA, Och , Acheron' tia, Acheron 

 a river in Hades ; alluding to the symbols 

 of death, the scull and cross bones, upon 

 the thorax of the insect." — A.L. 



This genus has but one British, or, indeed, 

 but one European species, — the well-known 

 and formerly much dreaded Death's Head 

 moth. This is the largest British, and, with 

 one exception (Saturnia Pyri), the largest 

 European lepidopterous insect. The in.sects 

 are characterized by short, thick antenna;, 

 terminating in a fine bristle ; the head is 

 large, the proboscis short, and the abdomen 

 very thick and rather flattened. 



ATROPOS. 

 The Death's Head Moth. 

 " Atkopos, L., At'ropos, one of the Fates, 

 the destroyer of life." — A.L. 



Imago. — This insect expands from over 

 j four to fully five inches. The fore-wings 



