NORTHERN CRESTED FLYCATCHER 119 



they learned in July. This is their farewell, and is in strange con- 

 trast to the harsh outcry with which they came upon the scene." 



After reading this manuscript, Francis H. Allen writes to me: "I 

 have been accustomed to write what is perhaps the commonest note 

 of the crested flycatcher as Wwheeh. Apparently others, who render 

 it as wheep^ have not noticed the introductory k\ but I feel quite sure 

 that it is commonly used. Another verj'^ common note is the rattling 

 cry, creep or cr-r-r-reep^ as I put it. As a matter of fact, this note 

 is really polysyllabic ; that is, the rapidly repeated ee sound has some- 

 what the effect of a rolled n" 



Field marks. — In outline the crested flycatcher is larger than the 

 kingbird, having a more decided crest and a much longer tail; its 

 coloring is entirely different, an olive-brown back, pale gray breast 

 and throat, yellow abdomen, and conspicuous wing bars. The Arkan- 

 sas kingbird, now often seen in the Eastern States, shows some of 

 these colors, but its wing bars are not conspicuous, it has a black tail, 

 with white outer webs of the lateral feathers, and the cinnamon- 

 rufous in the wings and tail, so conspicuous in the crested flycatcher, 

 is lacking. In flight, the cinnamon in the wings and tail of the latter 

 species shows up very plainly as one of the best field marks. Its 

 voice is, of course, quite distinctive. 



Enemies. — Probably one of the worst enemies of this and other 

 hole-nesting birds is the European starling, which has increased so 

 rapidly that it is appropriating all the available nesting cavities. 

 The crested flycatcher is possibly more than a match for it and can 

 hold its ground, but I have no evidence on the subject one way or the 

 other. On June 8, 1941, W. G. F. Harris and I hunted through an 

 old orchard in Raynham, Mass., where a pair of crested flycatchers 

 had been in the habit of nesting for a number of years. The 

 orchard was overrun with starlings; large numbers of young 

 starlings were flying about among the trees, in full ju venal plum- 

 age, evidently the products of first broods, and their parents were 

 laying their second sets of eggs, one of which we found. 



Wlien we located the flycatchers' nest, we were surprised to find 

 that it contained six eggs of the flycatcher and one egg of the starling. 

 The flycatcher was on the nest. Incubation had started in three of 

 the flycatcher's eggs, the other three and the starling's egg being per- 

 fectly fresh. It would seem that the starling had probably laid its 

 egg in the flycatcher's nest before the latter's set was complete and 

 during the interval when she was off the nest. This illustrates the 

 keen competition for nesting sites. 



Snakes and squirrels probably destroy some eggs and young, 

 though the flycatchers could doubtless drive away the latter. Mr. 

 DuBois tells me the following snake story : "There were two or three 



