1907] New Brunswick Flycatchers. 61 



Our flycatchers are necessarily migratory as they depend 

 almost wholly upon insects for a food supply, so that six months 

 is about the limit of time each year, that they are with us. They 

 are not endowed with the power of producing a musical song as 

 are many of our other birds, but are quite as conspicuous through 

 their unmusical calls of love or rage, as are many of our musical 

 songsters through their powers of emitting more chordant sounds. 



In nest Iniilding they exhibit various styles of architecture, 

 and some species display considerable ingenuity in building nests 

 to closely resemble surrounding objects. With the exception of 

 a species recentlv added to our list, none of our flycatchers have 

 brightly colored plumage. A11 are robed in inconspicuous grayish 

 or dull colored plumage and the sexes much resemble each other. 



Each species has its favorite habitat, thus they are distribut- 

 ed throughout the province in localities that suit each species. 

 For this reason we find some species about orchards, others live 

 about water-courses, and again there are those that live mostly in 

 wooded tracts. One species of accidental occurrence has had its 

 habits very little studied while in our land, and possibly another 

 may not occur with us for years to come. The species referred to 

 is the scissor-tailed flycatcher (Milvuhis tyrannus) and is of 

 accidental occurrence. May 21st, 1906, a bird of this species was 

 secured at Clarendon Station, Queen's Co., N.B., by Mr. G. S. 

 Lacey. This is the only record so far known of this species being 

 taken in this province.' It had evidently come north with the 

 migration wave that passed here May 18-20. Then followed 

 cold, wet days, and migration was again nearly at a standstill. 

 Insect life was so cooled down May 21-22 by a fall in the tempera- 

 ture that a scarlet tanager was observed by the writer hopping 

 about on plowed ground searching for food. Bird life suffered 

 greatly in consequence of the fall in the temperature. 



This scissor-tailed flycatcher when first observed was flying 

 about alighting upon the ground and low perches, and was at 

 first thought to be a shrike, but when alighting within a few yards 

 of Mr. Lacey, its oddity was noticed, and procuring his gun he 

 secured the ram avis. According to Mr. Lacey, this bird measur- 

 ed fourteen inches in length. The upper parts were gray or 

 ashv, light underneath; wings and tail blackish; the tail deeply 

 forked and about ten inches in length, the under side washed 

 with a pinkish color as was the lining of wings. The scissor- 

 tailed flycatcher is of decidedly greater length than any of our 

 other fl.ycatchers, but the body is no larger than that of the king- 

 bird. 



The Kingbird (Tyrannus tyranmts) is a resident of or- 

 chards during its breeding season. While migrating, its 



