334 Passerks. BIRDS. Muscicapxd.®. 
of the bill, the outer webs of the tertial wing feathers, 
and of a portion of those of the tail white ; the female is 
brown above and dull white beneath, and is destitute of 
the white spot on the forehead. In its general habits 
this bird resembles the Spotted Flycatcher ; but its 
nest, which is loosely made of grass and roots, is placbd 
in the hole of a decayed oak or other pollard tree. The 
eggs, ot which these are sometimes as many as eight in 
one nest, are of a uniform pale blue colour. 
THE AMERICAN REDSTART {Setophaga ruticilla).— 
This bird, which is a summer visitor to the United 
States, has received the name of Kedstart from its 
resemblance to the European birds so called, although 
its characters and habits are very different. It is 
nearly allied to the preceding species ; the total length 
is about five inches ; the colour of the plumage on the 
back, head, neck, and the upper part of the breast is 
black ; the wings have a broad orange band across 
them, and the quills from thence to the tip are brownish; 
the belly is white ; the four middle leathers of the tail 
are black, and the remainder orange with black tips. 
The female is of an ashy-olive colour above, and dull 
white beneath ; she wants the orange band across the 
wing, and has the middle tail feathers brown, and the 
others greenish-yellow. 
This bird, according to Wilson, is one of the most 
expert of Flycatchers. It will pursue “ a retreating 
party of flies from the tops of the tallest trees, in an 
almost perpendicular, but zigzag direction, to the 
ground, while the clicking of its bill is distinctly 
heard and Wilson adds that it no doubt secures 
ten or twelve flies in a descent of three or four seconds. 
Its nest is built in a low bush, where it is attached 
to two twigs; it is composed of flax moistened with the 
saliva of the bird, and lined with soft down. The 
eggs are white, speckled with gray and black. 
THE PARADISE FLYCATCHER {Tchitrea paradisi). 
— This elegant species is found in all parts of India 
and in Ceylon. The male measures about twenty inches 
in length ; but two-thirds of this is due to the great 
elongation of the two middle feathers of the tail, which 
are about fifteen inches long ; these long feathers are 
wanting in the female. The head, which is adorned 
with a small pointed crest, and the neck are greenish- 
black; the body is white, and the wings and tail streaked 
with black. It is abundant in the woods and dense 
jungle, and is restless in its habits, feeding upon insects, 
which it captures in the air as it flits about, making a 
loud snap with its bill as it seizes its prey. 
THE BLACK FAN-TAILED llliYCkliCEEK {Rhipidura 
motacilloides). — This bird, which is distributed over all 
parts of the Australian continent, is remarkable for its 
long and broad tail, which it spreads out into a fan, 
thus acquiring an elegant appearance. It is of a glossy 
black colour, with the wings brown, the lower surface, 
except the throat, and a small streak over each eye, 
pure white. It is a lively, active, and familiar bird, 
haunting the neighbourhood of the houses, and seeking 
for its insect food, not only in the gardens, but also 
about the cattle, upon the backs of which it will fre- 
quently alight and run along. Much of its prey is 
sought on the ground ; then its appearance resembles 
that of the European Wagtails ; like them, it has the 
habit of shaking its tail, but the movement is from side 
to side, and not perpendicular. It constructs a beauti- 
ful cup-shaped nest of dry grass, roots, and strips of 
bark, held together by cobwebs, and usually rears two 
or three broods in the season. 
THE WHITE-BROWED FLYCATCHER {Rhipidura 
alhofrontata), a nearly allied Indian species, is common 
in the northern parts of the peninsula of Hindostan, 
where it frequents both the jungle and gardens. It 
captures much of its food upon the wing, but, like its 
Australian relative, is sometimes seen perched upon the 
backs of cattle. Mosquitoes constitute a great portion 
of the diet of this bird, and hence one of its Indian 
names signifies “ Mosquito-catcher.” 
THE RESTLESS FLYCATCHER (Seisura volitans) is 
an abundant species in all the southern parts of Aus- 
tralia, where it is known to the colonists as the “Grinder,” 
or the “ Razor-grinder,” from a remarkable noise which 
it emits while engaged in the pursuit of its prey. It 
feeds on insects, which it not only captures in the air 
in the ordinary manner of the Flycatchers, but also by 
flying over the fields, with regular beats of the wings, 
like the Kestrel, and dropping perpendicularly upon 
any insect which it perceives beneath it. The flight 
of the bird is described as peculiarly graceful, forming 
a striking contrast to the harsh grinding note uttered 
by the bird. Mr. Gilbert seems to think that this note 
is emitted for the purpose of attracting the notice of the 
insects below ; for he observed, that, after uttering the 
cry, the bird always descends to the ground, picks up 
something, and carries it off to the nearest tree. 
Tlie Restless Flycatcher is about eight inches in 
length. The plumage is black above, and white 
beneath, and the breast often exhibits a pinlc tint. 
The nest is cup-shaped, neatly made of fine grasses 
held together by cobwebs, and lined with fine roots, 
and sometimes a few feathers. 
THE WHITE-EYED FLYCATCHER ( Vireo novehora- 
censis), is a common summer bird in the United States of 
America, where it arrives rather early in the year from its 
winter haunts in the West Indies and tropical America. 
It is rather more than five inches in length, the plumage 
of the upper parts is yellowish-olive, of the lower sur- 
face white, with the sides of the breast yellow ; round 
each eye is a yellow line, and near each nostril is a 
spot of the same colour. This flycatcher is an active, 
lively, and sociable little bird, possessing a strong voice, 
and a song of considerable variety. It builds a neat 
nest in the form of an inverted cone, suspended by the 
upper edge ; the materials of which the nest is com- 
posed, are fragments of rotten wood, dry stalks, and 
similar articles, and it is remarkable that, amongst 
these, pieces of paper are almost always found, 
Wilson says that the bird exhibits so great a predi- 
lection for fragments of newspapers, that some of his 
friends gave it tire name of the Politician. The mate- 
rials of the nest are held together with the silk of some 
caterpillars, and the lining consists of fine dry grass 
and hair. 
THE RED-EYED FLYCATCHER ( Vireo olimceus). This 
and the preceding species belong to a small group of 
Flycatchers peculiar to America, and to which the 
name of Greenlets has been given, from the prevalence 
