. The birds of Berwickshire; with remarks on their local distribution migration, and habits, and also on the folk-lore, proverbs, popular rhymes and sayings connected with them . x. p. 574. 132 THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. exposed situations. It is sometimes very whimsical in theselection of a nesting-place, and, as an instance of thispeculiarity, I may mention that, a few years ago, a pairbuilt in a tea-cup which had been left standing for someweeks on the outside of the window-sill of one of the gardenoffices at Milne Graden. During incubation the cup wasseveral times removed from the sill by the
. The birds of Berwickshire; with remarks on their local distribution migration, and habits, and also on the folk-lore, proverbs, popular rhymes and sayings connected with them . x. p. 574. 132 THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. exposed situations. It is sometimes very whimsical in theselection of a nesting-place, and, as an instance of thispeculiarity, I may mention that, a few years ago, a pairbuilt in a tea-cup which had been left standing for someweeks on the outside of the window-sill of one of the gardenoffices at Milne Graden. During incubation the cup wasseveral times removed from the sill by the gardener to showits contents to visitors, and yet, notwithstanding this dis-turbance, the birds succeeded in rearing a brood of young inthe strange home which they had chosen. The nest iscomposed of moss, small twigs, and roots, and is lined withhorse-hair, wool, and feathers. The eggs are four or five innumber, and vary in ground colour from bluish white to palegreenish blue, blotched and speckled with reddish brown. The Spotted Flycatcher feeds exclusively on has no note beyond a kind of faint chirp, like theword Egypt, which it utters at intervals. ~Hf44H-. PASSERES. ( 133 ) THE PIED FLYCATCHER. Muscicapa atricapilla. IV/ien Afay is in his prime, and youthful SpringDoth clothe the trees with leaves, aiidground ixiithjlotoers, And time of year reviveth everything. And lovely Nature sjniles a?id nothing hnoers. Thomas Watson, This pretty bird is not a regular spring visitor to thecounty, several years sometimes elapsing between its visits;and when it does make its appearance, which is generallyabout the middle of May, it seems to be only crossing thedistrict on the way to its breeding quarters. There is norecord of the nest having been found in Berwickshire,but it has been discovered in the adjoining county ofNorthumberland. ^ The Pied Flycatcher appears to be a local bird in Eng-land, only frequenting certain districts, the lake countrybeing a favou
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