250 NESTS AND EGGS OF 



woodland, generally distributed. Habits, nests and eggs counterparts 

 of those of trailing 



A nest containing a set of three eggs, collected by S. C. Evans, 

 near San Jose, California, May 26, is in my cabinet. The nest was 

 placed in the forks of a small bush, three feet from the ground. Its 

 composition is chiefly vegetable fibres, loosely put together ; the lining 

 is of the same material, but of finer shreds, and horse hair. The eggs 

 have a pale yellowish-buff ground-color, spotted and speckled at the 

 greater end with light reddish and madder-brown ; sizes, .73 x .53, 



74X-5 1 ) -74 x -53- 



4660. Empidonax pusillus traillii (AUD.) [3250.] 



Traill's Flycatcher. 



Hab. Eastern North America, south in winter through Central to Northern South America. 



Traill's Flycatcher breeds from the Northern United States north- 

 ward, and as far south as Southern Illinois and Missouri. The locality 

 usually selected as a nesting site by this species is in a thick growth 

 of alders bordering a stream, or in the deep solitude of a lonely wood, 

 where it is associated with the Acadian Flycatcher during the breeding 

 season. Wherever found breeding traillii is more abundant than is 

 generally supposed, but from its retiring habits is little known. 



Our illustration represents a typical nest of Traill's Flycatcher, 

 taken in June, 1885, placed in a clump of alders. They are scarcely 

 ever placed higher than eight feet from the ground; in most cases 

 about four. In nearly all instances they are built in an upright fork, 

 and have a strong resemblance to the usual structure of the Yellow 

 Warbler, but lack in compactness and neatness. The external or 

 greater portion of the nest is composed of hempen fibres, internally 

 lined in true Flycatcher style with fine grasses. In some, however, 

 there is a slight lining of horse-hair and of the down from the milk- 

 weed or thistle. A typical nest measures two and a half inches in' 

 height and three in diameter, with a cavity one inch and a half in 

 diameter and two inches deep. 



Three eggs is the usual complement, although four is not uncom- 

 mon, and they are often found in varying stages of incubation. The 

 ground-color of the eggs is extremely variable. In some it is of a : 

 cream, in others approaching buff. In four sets there is a striking 

 variation in the distribution of the markings. They are usually 

 marked, chiefly at the larger end, with blotches of red and reddish- 

 brown, and while in some the markings are simply very small dots spar- 

 ingly sprinkled over the surface, in others these dottings are scarcely 

 visible, giving them the appearance of an almost unspotted surface. 



