76 
MUSCICAPID^:. 
rently by the frequent passing and repassing of its in¬ 
mates,” until they were driven out by a swarm of bees, 
which took possession of the hole. 
To a friend and schoolfellow, Mr. John Gibson, who 
resided at Tyrril, near Penrith, and for some years ob¬ 
served the habits of this bird, 1 am indebted for the fol¬ 
lowing information, accompanied with the nests and eggs. 
The Pied Flycatcher builds its nest about the end of 
May, or beginning of June, in the holes of trees, walls, 
and bridges, and appears particularly partial to the neigh¬ 
bourhood of a stream of water. The hole chosen is 
generally too small to admit the hand, and the nest rarely 
at the depth of more than four or five inches; it is slight, 
and composed of small quantities of dried grass and straws, 
lined with very fine grass and hairs, with occasionally a 
few dead leaves. It usually lays from four to six eggs, 
but Mr. Heysham, who meets with them near Carlisle, 
and has published some interesting papers relative to 
their nidification, &c., informs me that the Pied Fly¬ 
catcher frequently lays seven or eight eggs, several in¬ 
stances of each having come under his observation during 
the spring of 1831, that the eggs also differ considerably 
in size and conformation, those contained in one nest 
that he took being unusually small, nearly oval, and al¬ 
most white; he has found the nest two successive years 
in the stump of a felled tree. 
