70 
fantastic evolutions, in its diligent pursuit of gnats and flies, is one of the most pleasing and attractive 
objects in the New-Zealand forest. , 
It is very tame and familiar, allowing a person to approach within a few feet of it without 
evincing any alarm, sometimes, indeed, perching for an instant on his head or shoulders. It will 
often enter the settler’s house in the bush, and remain there for days toge her, clearing the window- 
panes of sand-flies, fluttering about the open rooms with an incessant lively twitter during the day 
and roosting at night under the friendly roof*. It is found, generally m pairs, on the outskirts of 
the forest, in the open glades, and in all similar localities adapted to its habits of life. It oves to 
frequent the wooded banks of mountain -streams and rivulets, where it may be seen hovering over t le 
surface of the water collecting gnats; and I have counted as many as ten of them at one time so 
engaged. It affects low shrubby bushes and the branches of fallen trees ; but it may often be seen 
catering for its insect-food among the topmost branches of the high timber. 
You may always make sure of finding it flitting noiselessly about the bushes at the edges of the 
little mountain-stream which 
“ Chatters over stony ways, 
In little sharps and trebles, 
And hubbies into eddying bays, 
And babbles on the pebbles.’ 
These localities often swaim with minute diptera, on which the bird subsists. And I have seen lire 
or six of them together displaying their fans, and hawking, as it were, for these mvtsrble fl.es above 
the surface of the water. . ...» . , , . 
In winter it generally frequents the darker parts of the forest, where msect-l.fe ,s more abundant 
at that season ; but it is nevertheless to be met with, wherever there rs any bush, all the year round. 
It is a true Flycatcher, subsisting entirely by the chase: darting forth from its perch, ,t per onus a 
number of aerial evolutions in pursuit of invisible flies-the snapping of its mand.b es as ,t catches 
its being distinctly audible-and generally returns to the twig from which it started It hops 
about along the dr, branches of a prostrate tree, or upwards along ft. tangled vines of the kareao 
(Rhipogomm miens), with its tail half expanded and its wings drooping seizing a little victim at 
Lost every turn, and all the while uttering a pleasant twitter. When hurt or alarmed it imme- 
diately closes its pretty fan, and silently flies off in a direct course, disappearing in the denser foliage. 
It breeds twice in the season, producing four young ones at each sitting. It generally com- 
mences to build in September, and brings out its first brood about the last week m October. Ihe 
second brood appears to leave the nest about the beginning of January. ...... 
The nest is a beautiful little structure, compact and symmetrical. A forked tvVig is the site 
usually selected; and the nest, instead of being placed within the foik foi suppoit, is ui t 
it the branchlets being thus made to serve the purpose of braces and stays to strengthen the work 
and to ho7d it together It is therefore generally impossible to remove or detach the nestfromjhe 
branch without tearing it to pieces. In form it is cup-shaped, the uppu pal “ d Th ° 
closely interwoven and securely bound, while the base is left — ^ ^sses, and the 
materials composing the foundation are light fognm * rincipal i y of the tollgh 
skeletons of dead leaves. The centre and upper poition 
n 1 , : ntBrwnV pn There is an exterior wall composed of 
and elastic seed-stems of various mosses finely intei woven, l 
1 , ... .1 A fvicnrl at' Vik rrict with an accident and got his leg broken. He 
* Maior Jackson told me a romantic story about this bird. A friend ot his met wirn 6 . ® . 
judjoi o j , fnr „ nme Dme During bis detention he suffered very 
w „„ carried into a little country bouse, and could not safely be movec . , . , 
was carneu j . immnvigpd bosnital. On one occasion, however, the window 
much from the heat and the swarms of small flies that invaded his improvised hospital , 
much irom . . , , , -tation on a ve” in the wall, and soon cleared the room of 
tiulna nnen a Fantail came in from the adjoining garden, took up its station on a pe c » 
being open, a r _ , QO „ oino-lp flv remained. After this and as long as the invalid . 
waTa ih S the manner described to the peace and comfort of the fly-pestered inmate. 
