64 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



ber, of a pinkish white, with a few brown spots near the 

 large end and three-fourths by one-half an inch in size. 

 The birds arrive from the south shortly after the first of 

 May and return about the middle of September; they are 

 scarce in northern New Jersey, but rather plentiful in the 

 southern part of the state. Their cry is a spee-peet and 

 at other times a heek-ijup. The birds are strictly insec- 

 tivorous, feeding on insects of all kinds. 



Flycalrher^ Crested^ or firetit Crested Flycalcli^ 



er. — Length, eight and one-half inches ; extent, thirteen 

 inches ; bill, three-fifths of an inch ; above, olive, tinged 

 with brown on the head ; wings, dusky, edged with yel- 

 lowisli white, the longest feathers bordered with cinna- 

 mon ; tail, dusky brow^n, the inner webs of all but the 

 middle feathers tawny cinnamon ; throat and fore breast, 

 gray; rest of under surface bright sulphur yellow ; bill and 

 feet, horn color. Sexes alike. The feathei-s of the head 

 are elongated and can be erected into a crest, as is the 

 case with most of the Flycatchers. 



The nest is built in the hollow of a tree or post and 

 sometimes in an abandoned woodpecker hole, seldom 

 higher than twenty feet from the ground ; it is made of 

 twigs, small roots, grasses, feathers, hairs, bristles and 

 almost invariably of a piece of cast snake's skin. The 

 eggs are from three to six in number, of a creamy white, 

 streaked lengthwise with brown and purple, nine-tenths 

 by seven-tenths of an inch in size. The birds come from 

 the south to the eastern part of the United States about 

 the first of May and leave about the first of September ; 

 they are far more common than the Acadian Flycatcher. 

 Their cry is a harsh call or squeak, something like the 

 Kingbird's. The birds feed almost exclusively on ground 

 beetles in May and during the rest of the season devour 

 large numbers of other insects; they also devour huckle- 

 berries and a little fruit. 



riyeatrher^ Lie a si or Chehec— 'Length, five inches; 



