164 
British Birds : 
Shining Flycatcher {Phacnopepla iiifens) : This was very 
briefly noted ill oiir last issue, but Air. Goodcliild's drawing was 
not then made, though ordered. It is difficult to state what is 
the characteristic j^o-''^ for this restless and vigilant species; 
whatever position it is viewed in, it has a handsome and striking 
appearance. This is very apparent even in the moderate sized 
cage it occupies at the Zoo, but it would show to far greater 
advantage in one three times the size, as it is even more ])eautiful 
on the wing than when in partial repose as figured ; even if it 
were sombre in plumage, its elegant and slender shape, agility 
and alertness would at once redeem it from plainness, and, if it 
onl}' came over in sufficient numbers, would cause it to be much 
sought after. The male is shining black : the richness of its sheen 
or lustre cannot be described, and for once a popular name is 
appropriate, for " shining" aptly describes the bird ; beautiful as 
it is ill the figure herewith, words cannot paint its charm when 
hovering in the cage, and the white inner webs of the primaries 
are so strikingly revealed ; the eye is red ; bill and feet glossy 
black. The female is brown, with the white areas on primaries 
much reduced. 
The nest is composed of fibre, fine twigs and lined with 
plant down, shaped like a saucer and of fragile build. The eggs 
are pale greenish, thickly speckled with blackish-brown. The 
clutch is very variable, five being the maximum. It ranges from 
the Central United States to Mexico. 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
ITbe Bullfincb. 
(^Pyrthula europcca). 
By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S. 
{Concluded from page 109). 
Wild Life : This portion of my task need not be a lengthy 
one, as only the briefest allusion, if any, will be made to its 
European distribution ; it is only as a British species that it 
enters into these notes. 
To every nature-lover {not a fruit growej^ this beautiful 
species is dear. How it brightens the hedgerows of wooded 
