AVES— FLYCATCHER. ..REDSTART. 511 



THE WHITE-EYED FLYCATCHER* 



Is another of the cow-bird's adopted nurses ; a lively, active, and sociable 

 little bird, possessing a strong voice for its size, and a great variety of notes, 

 and sings during the whole summer. It probably winters in Mexico and the 

 West Indies. It builds a very neat little nest in the figure of an inverted 

 cone ; it is suspended by the upper edge of the two sides on the circular bend 

 of a prickly vine that generally grows in low thickets. It is constructed of 

 bits of rotten wood, fibres of weeds, and pieces of paper, commonly news- 

 papers. From this circumstance it is sometimes called the Politician. It 

 makes a great ado when any one comes near the nest; looking down and 

 scolding with great vehemence. It is five inches and a quarter long; the 

 upper parts are fine yellow olive; those below white, except the sides of the 

 breast, which are yellow. 



THE SWALLLOW-T AILED FLYCATCHERS 



Is a very rare and beautiful bird, a specimen of which was shot, on the Ar- 

 kansas river, by the exploring party under Major Long. It is as audacious 

 as the king-bird, attacking with unhesitating intrepidity, and turning the flight 

 of the most powerful of the feathered tribe. Its notes consist of a chirping 

 something like tsch, tsch, much resembling that of the prairie dog, by which 

 it deceived the members of Long's party into a belief that they were ap- 

 proaching one of the villages of this animal. 



To the above may be added the Arkansas, Say's, Bonaparte's, Selby's, and 

 Traill's Flycatchers, all of which belong to the United States. 



THE AMERICAN REDSTARTS 



Has been classed among the warblers, yet it has all the characteristics of 

 the flycatchers, and is in fact one of the most expert of its tribe. It will 

 pursue a party of flies from the tops of the tallest trees, in an almost per- 

 pendicular, but zigzag direction, to the ground, while the clicking of its bill 

 is distinctly heard ; and 1 drnbt not but it o**ten secures U n or twelve of 

 these in three or four seconds. Its notes or twitter, though animated and 

 sprightly are not deserving the name of song; sometimes they are wiese, 

 weese, weese, repeated every quarter of a minute, as it skips among the 

 branches ; at other times this twitter varies to several other chants, which we 



1 Muscicapa cantatrix, Wilson. * Muscicapa forficata, Gmel. 



3 Muscicapa ruticilla, Lin. 



