C. IT. Merriam — Birds of Connecticut. 57 



and it was taken in Nevada l>y Bischoff (recorded by Henshaw), and 

 Ridgway,* who writes me as follows : " Although I found it at very 

 few localities, I am certain of its occurrence wherever suitable localities 



exist It there inhabits the coniferous woods at an altitude 



of from about 8,000 feet up to timber line, and 1 noticed that it pre- 

 ferred localities where the trees had been deadened by fire. The 

 only places, in Nevada, where I met with this bird, were the pine 

 woods of the East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains." Concerning its 

 occurrence in California, Dr. Cooper says: "It seems to be resident 

 in most parts of the State where it is found, but not occurring south 

 of Monterey, where Dr. Gambel found young in July. I found them 

 rather common in the Coast Range toward Santa Cruz, where they 

 had nests in May, but 1 could not examine any of these, their loca- 

 tion being generally on a high inaccessible branch. I also found this 

 bird at Lake Tahoe in September. It is rather silent, keeping mostly 

 on tops of the trees, and catching passing insects."f Mr. Ridgway 

 also found it breeding in California, "on the eastern slope of the 

 Sierra Nevada.' 1 \ In Oregon and Washington Territory it is, 

 according to Dr. Cooper, "a much more abundant bird near the 

 Columbia River and throughout the northern Rocky Mountains. 

 There they migrate, remaining at the Lower Columbia from May to 

 October."! Dr. Brewer writes: "In Washington Territory this 

 bird appears to be somewhat more common than in other portions of 

 the United States. Dr. Suckly obtained a specimen at Fort Steila- 

 coom, July 10th, 1856. It was not very abundant about Puget Sound, 

 and showed a preference for shady thickets and dense foliage [contrary 

 to its usual habit], where it was not easily shot." "A single speci- 

 men," continues Dr. Brewer, "was taken, Aug. 29th, 1840, at Nenor- 

 talik, Greenland [by Reinhardt], and sent to Copenhagen. "§ Hence 

 the distribution of this beautiful and interesting Flycatcher affords 

 an excellent illustration of the manner in which some species that are 

 confined, during the breeding season, to the Canadian and Allegha- 

 nian faunae in the Eastern Province, are found, during the same period, 

 in the far West, extending from the Saskatchewan, in British 

 America, almost, if not quite, to Mexico. 



*Bull. Essex. Inst., vol. vii. Xo. 1, pp. 21, 38. Jan., 1875. 

 f Ornithology of California, vol. i, p. 324. 1870. 

 % Bull. Essex. Inst , vol. vi, No. 10, p. 174. Oct., 1874. 

 §Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, Birds X. Am., vol. ii, p. 35G. 1874. 

 Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. IV. 8 July, 1877. 



