74 
MUSCICAPIDiE. 
INC ESSO RES. MUSCICAPIDM. 
EENTIROSTRES. 
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 
Muscicapa grisola. 
PLATE XXI. FIG. I. 
The Spotted Flycatcher makes its nest about the 
beginning of June; it is built in the hole of a wall, or 
of a decayed tree stump, on the low branches and 
amongst the exposed roots of trees which overhang a 
stream of water, and upon the boughs of wall fruit-trees; 
these are its most usual and natural places of resort, but 
there is scarcely any place so whimsical as not to be 
chosen by it for the position of its nest; it has been twice 
detected breeding on the lamp-posts in the crowded 
streets; one of these instances is mentioned by Mr. Jesse, 
in his “Gleanings of Natural History.” 
The nest is formed of small twigs, roots, and moss, in¬ 
terwoven with spiders’ webs, and is lined with hair and 
feathers. 
The eggs are four or five in number, and are not sub¬ 
ject to much variety in colour; in form they are some¬ 
times longer and more pointed than the plate. 
I have stated that the genera of our British birds might, 
with a few exceptions, be determined by the colouring of 
their eggs alone, and have mentioned among those ex¬ 
ceptions the eggs of our two flycatchers, which usually 
differ as much from each other as they do from those of 
the most remote species. It was, therefore, with very 
peculiar interest that I have since seen eggs of the 
Spotted Flycatcher of a clear spotless blue in the col¬ 
lections of Mr. Wilmot and of Mr. Salmon. 
