Oct. 10.—Even the dullest, dampest and most dem'd depressing day which could have been imagined by Mr. Mantalini of Nicholas Nickleby fame, has its little surprises in store as I found this morning. Passing a group of low fir trees in the drizzling rain my ear caught an unusual bird-noise a harsh warning call from a small bird, but quite different from all such familiar calls, Approaching the trees quietly I was rewarded by the sight of a beautiful male Narcissus Flycatcher, all golden-yellow, black and white: breast rich gold; head, back and wings deep black with a white patch in the centre of the wings. This bird was leaping from a perch in the fir-tree and apparently catching flies in the wet grass below, returning each time to the same perch and displaying the magnificent plumage of an old male with each flight: the yellow stripe above the eye stamped him as a Narcissus, and not a Tricolor, Flycatcher for the latter would have had a white superciliary, But what puzzled me was the appearance of the birds in company with him; mainly olive-grey with greenish flanks, they looked like females of the species, but they had quite definite patches of brown on nape and wings which I had never observed before. Returning home to consult La Touche, I quickly solved the problem; they were young males of the season, carrying brown patches as a result of their first incult but the real thrill came as I was gathering this information. La Touche says that this bird comes through in May on its way to Japan, but, "its return journey has never been observed in China". So now I can guarantee that at least one Narcissus Flycatcher has been seen on its return journey actually choosing the "double-ten" of 1937 to come through flaunting the Old College Blazer of Imperial Yellow and Black, Quite symbolical, I think, eri isi
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.