Britifih Birds. 
59 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
The Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa griftola). 
By R. SuGGiTT. 
The Spotted Flycatcher is one of the most noticeable of our 
summer visitors, and it may be found in almost every orchard or 
garden, making swoops from its favourite perch after flies and 
other insects. It is one of the latest of our summer arrivals. It is 
seldom seen in our northern counties before the middle of May, 
and, it is at least a month later before the eggs are to be found. 
The nest is usually built of fine hay and small roots, inter- 
woven with spiders' webs and lined with hay. It is situated on 
the lower fork of a fruit tree, on the top of a sheltered fence post, 
or sometimes in ivy growing on the wall of a house. I have 
found the nest in all these situations in my garden, at Cleethorpes, 
where two or three pairs rear their young every summer. Years 
ago I took a nest from the fork of a large tree, at least 25 feet 
from the ground. The eggs vary a little in colour, but bear a 
general resemblance to those of the Robin, except that they are a 
little smaller and not so round. The usual clutch is five. 
The Spotted Flycatcher is a very shy sitter and glides from 
the nest whenever an intruder approaches to within thirty feet of 
its domicile. No interference with the nest is tolerated, the 
parents forsaking nearly fully tledged young if the latter be 
handled too freely. The fledgelings are the most nervous young 
birds that I am acquainted with and cower at the bottom of the 
nest, terrified if one peers at them. At other times this bird is 
bold and fairly confiding. 
They have no song and their voices are seldom heard until 
the young have left the nest, when the call " it-chick " may be 
heard in all directions. 
Their food consists of insects. Upper plumage, greyish - 
brown streaked with darker-brown on the head ; wings and tail, 
dark-brown ; sides of face and ear coverts, dark brown ; under 
surface, greyish-white tinged with pale brown on the breast and 
sides, and faintly streakeil witli brown on the flanks : bill, brown ; 
feet, black. 
This species has little to recommend it as a cage bird. It 
readily takes to cage life, is easy to cater for and becomes fairly 
