278 Birds of Colorado 



In Colorado, Wright's Flycatcher is a fairly common summer resident, 

 especially in the mountains ; it is probably only a migrant in the plains. 

 It has been recorded from Estes Park (Kellogg) ; Boulder co., breeding 

 at 10,000 feet (Gale) ; Denver, May 12th to 17th (Henshaw) ; Idaho 

 Springs (Trippe) ; Breckenridge (Carter) ; Twin Lakes (Scott) ; South 

 Park, breeding (Allen) ; Crested Butte, Gunnison co., breeding 8,800 

 feet (Warren) ; El Paso and Lincoln cos. (Aiken) ; Wet Mountains 

 (Lowe) ; Fort Garland 7,000 feet (Henshaw), Mesa co., 7,000 to 9,000 

 feet, common (Rockwell), and Silverton, breeding (Anthony apud 

 Bendire). The earhest date for arrival in El Paso co. is May 5th. 



Habits. — Like the Hammond Flycatcher, this species 

 is shy and retiring, concealing itself in the thick willow 

 and alder bushes along the courses of mountain streams, 

 and seldom venturing forth on to the mountain sides. 



Dennis Gale found a nest containing four eggs on July 

 22nd, in Boulder co. It was built in thick spruce-bush, 

 about thirty inches from the ground. Warren found 

 three nests in the summer of 1900, near Crested Butte ; 

 they were all largely constructed of fibre from the inner 

 bark of dead aspen trees, and were placed in bushes 

 four to six feet above the ground. 



The eggs are dull white and unspotted ; they average 

 •68 X -52. 



Gray Flycatcher. Empidonax yriseus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 469.1 — Colorado Record — Ridgway 01 pt. iv., 

 p. 571. 



Description. — Resembling E. wrighti, but much greyer above (with 

 hardly any trace of olive) as well as below ; wing averaging longer, 

 tail shorter and bill narrower ; lower mandible very pale (pinkish in 

 life) with a dusky tip ; tail emarginate, tenth primary about equal to 

 the fourth. Length 5-25 ; wing 2-85 ; tail 2-30 ; cuhnen -50 ; tarsus -70. 



Distribution. — Breeding from southern California to southern New 

 Mexico and the highlands of northern Mexico ; in winter to Lower 

 California. 



This bird is only an accidental straggler in Colorado ; Ridgway 

 records an example taken at Newcastle on the Grand River on May 

 24th, while a Flycatcher in the Aiken collection taken by Mr. Aiken, 

 May 3rd, 1872, near Fountain in El Paso co., appears to be undoubtedy 

 referable to this species. 



