Puslapio vaizdai
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The skirts of woods, orchards, gardens, and fields of clover, are the favourite haunts of the King Bird; perched on a branch, or stake, or tall weed, all energy and alertness, he glances around in search of the passing prey; in a moment, off he darts, now sweeping close to the verdure of the field, now mounting in graceful undulations, or turning short, with abruptness; now to the right, now to the left, snapping at the insects as he passes, when, having secured his booty, he returns, either to the same or to an adjoining watch-tower, to look out for another chance. One of his especial dainties is a species of large black gad-fly, peculiarly terrifying to horses and cattle, and the destruction he occasions among these pests, as well as among the hordes of insect torments to man and beast, more than counterbalance the injury he may do by now and then snapping up a bee, flitting in search of honey, of which he is also very fond. Like the swallow, this interesting bird delights to sweep over the surface of rivers, chasing the insects which dance in the air above, and every now and then dipping and emerging, shaking the spray, as he rises, from his rapidly vibrating wings, and then perching upon some near branch to dress his plumage. As evening comes on, numbers may be seen thus engaged on the rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, during the calm and warmth of summer. The nest of this bird is built on branches of trees, often of such as grow in the orchard, at no great distance from the ground. The outside consists of twigs and vegetable fibres, having an inner layer of cotton, wool, or tow, of great thickness and well matted together, the whole being lined with fibrous roots and horse-hair. The eggs are five or six in number, of a reddish white, spotted irregularly with brown.

The King Bird is eight inches in length, and fourteen in extent of wing. The general colour of the upper parts is dark bluish gray, inclining to dull slate black on the head, of which the central feathers along the crown form a rich flame-coloured patch, margined with yellow (a character more or less peculiar to the genus.) The quillfeathers and secondaries are brownish, tipped with dull white; tail brownish black, tipped with white; chest

grayish white, becoming pure on the throat and under surface; bill black; tarsi dull gray.

Leaving the genus Tyrannus, we proceed to the genus Muscipeta, characterized by the singular depression of

THE PARADISE FLYCATCHER.

the beak and the long bristles which fringe its base, many species having a long crest, and two elongated tail-feathers extending beyond a graduated tail. Of this genus, almost

exclusively confined to India and Africa, the PARADISE FLYCATCHER (Muscipeta Paradisi, Cuv.) may be selected, of which two varieties, if indeed they be not distinct species, occur. One is distinguished by the chestnut colour of the back and wings, the under surface being white and the head and crest rich violet black; the other is white with black edgings to the quill-feathers, and a head and crest like the former. In both cases the males are distinguished by the extraordinary elongation of the two middle tail-feathers; the size of the body is equal to that of a lark.

These elegant birds are natives of India; their food consists of the softer kinds of insects, which they take by short flights, and often on the ground. They are said to sing very sweetly. The sketch we have given is taken from the chestnut-coloured variety, which some authors have called Muscipeta Indica, considering its specific distinctiveness as indubitable.

Besides the elegant birds just alluded to, India also presents us with a race of richly coloured Flycatchers, whose plumage of inimitable scarlet and black produces the most striking effect; as seen while flitting in pursuit of insect prey, the birds open their wings to the sun. They constitute the genus Phanicornis, distinguished by the comparative stoutness of the beak and its trifling compression; and by the graduated tail, as well as by the minor character of close similarity of colouring. Three species have been figured by Mr. Gould in his "Century of Birds from the Himalayan Mountains," which, with another, constitute all at present known. Of these the Phanicornis princeps is the most superb; the head, upper part of the back, the shoulders, quill-feathers, and two middle feathers of the tail being glossy black; lower part of the back, the centre of the wings, the whole of the under surface, and rest of the tail, brilliant scarlet. The scarlet of the males is, in this as well as the other species, exchanged for orange yellow in the females.

the

The last genus to which our readers' attention is invited

is that of Muscicapa, containing the British species, with which we are most familiar. It is distinguished by a narrow slender beak, but little depressed, and fringed with short bristles; the tip being slightly hooked. The tail is

square.

Of this genus the SPOTTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa grisola) has, we doubt not, been noticed by most of our readers. It is one of our summer birds of passage, retiring early in autumn, as soon as its young are capable of providing for their own subsistence. Of plain unadorned livery, and without any pretensions to song, this little bird is nevertheless peculiarly interesting from its familiarity, and active, sprightly manners. Few of our gardens, lawns, and orchards are without two or three pairs of Flycatchers, busily engaged in providing for the wants of their nestlings. Perched on the twig of one of the lower branches of some tall tree, or on the bough of a fruit-tree in the garden, it may be observed glancing its eyes around in quest of prey, and every half-minute darting away in the pursuit; when, having taken a short sweep, it returns to its station again. On a fine summer's evening, when the insect tribes are all abroad, it may then be seen intent upon its appointed work, and will often keep to the same twig as its observatory, flitting on the chase and returning at nearly regular intervals, for fifteen or twenty minutes together. The writer watched, in the summer of 1832, a pair of these birds, on the top of Richmond Hill, which overlooks the rich prospect below, continue thus engaged for nearly half an hour, the same or an adjacent twig being invariably returned to, after each short flight. Insects of the softer kinds, such as gnats and flies, are the sole food of this bird; hence its services in our gardens. It is indifferent in the selection of a place for its nest. A pair has been known to build close to a chamber window, between the wall and the branch of a trained pear-tree; holes in trees, or walls, or a large rugged or moss-grown branch close to the stem, are all equally acceptable. The eggs are five in number, of a pale, dusky, greenish colour, marked with reddish spots. Crown of the head, brownish,

obscurely spotted with black; back, mouse colour; wings and tail, dusky, the feathers being edged with white. The whole of the under surface, white; the throat and sides being dashed with spots of reddish brown. Bill, dusky; the inside of the mouth yellow. Size of a redbreast.

Besides the above species, there is also another summer visitor of this genus, namely, the PIED FLYCATCHER, (Musicapa luctuosa, TEMM.) one of the rarest British birds. It appears to be local in its visits, being by no means universally dispersed; for though it has been seen occasionally near London, it is by far the most common in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire. Some years since, the writer saw a pair, busy in chase of flies, in a small wood, in Cheshire, on the border of the latter county. Its manners are generally similar to those of the preceding, and need not be further detailed. It is, however, a much smaller bird, being only four inches and three-quarters long; the other being nearly six. Its eggs are said to be of a bright pale blue. According to M. Temminck, the moult in this bird is double, occurring in autumn and again in spring. In autumn, the male assumes a livery like that of the female, from which he is then scarcely to be distinguished; but in spring, he assumes, by another moult, his characteristic plumage, which is as follows:-The forehead, a large band across each wing, occupying the secondaries, and the edge of the outer tailfeather on each side, are pure white; the rest of the upper surface is jet black; the under surface is white. The female, as also the young, are destitute of white, and have the upper surface of an ashy brown. This species is very abundant in central France, in Italy, and along the Mediterranean; and thousands are annually killed for the table in October, under the name of Beccafica, or Bec-figue. Under this term is also included a closely allied continental species, (M. albicollis,) of which the male is distinguished in his summer dress by a white collar round the neck.

Thus closing this interesting family, from whose services man derives no trifling benefit, we proceed to another

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