Flycatcher, Great-Crested 



can be accounted for only by the pain he must feel every 

 time he hears himself screech. 



Neltje Blanchan. Bird Neighbors. ^^ 



His call, like an exclamation rings out above all other 

 birds' notes. What! he seems to say, and, as though 

 hearing something which not only surprised but amused 

 him, follows this call with a chuckling whistle. 



Chapman. Bird Life.^ 



An unexplained and not very winsome peculiarity of 

 this bird is, that almost invariably its nest is, in part, 

 composed of cast-off snake skins; doubtless for a good 

 reason. 



Parkhurst. The Birds' Calendar.^^ 



Hardy and pugnacious. Colonel Goss says they fight 

 fiercely for their mates, and have a habit of plucking the 

 tail feathers of their rivals to disfigure them in the eyes 

 of their lady loves. 



Florence A. Merriam. Birds of Village and Field. ^ 



Late in May he makes his nesting, 

 Seeks a deep and darksome hollow 

 In the orchard's oldest tree -trunk. 

 Lines it well with matted cow's hair 

 Grasses, feathers, bits of wasps' nest, 

 Slender roots, or silky fibres, 

 Here and there a scrap of paper, 

 Shred of bark, or seed of thistle. 



68 



