NORTHERN CRESTED FLYCATCHER 107 



branch and proclaims possession of his chosen territory over which 

 he has ruled for successive seasons. If we watch carefully he will 

 betray his presence, and we shall see the flash of reddish brown in his 

 wings and tail, or his yellow under parts, as he sallies forth to snap 

 up an insect or to drive some intruder out of his domain. 



Probably the crested flycatcher was originally a forest-loving bird. 

 It still shows a fondness for what remnants of our forests are left in 

 southern New England, though it seems to prefer the more open por- 

 tions, the edges of clearings and woodland glades, and the borders of 

 the woods. It is seldom found in the depths of extensive forest areas. 

 Since civilized man has cleared away so much of our forested land 

 and has made improvement thinnings in most of the remainder, this 

 flycatcher finds fewer cavities there in which to build its nest and 

 has learned to adapt itself to living in more open situations, in old 

 orchards, in isolated trees in open lots and even about human habita- 

 tions. 



Dr. Samuel S. Dickey writes to me: "In the backwoods of West 

 Virginia, where I have given attention to the species for a period of 

 30 odd years, it inhabits stands of original timber, such as white 

 oak, tulip poplar, white linden, sugar maple, white ash, beech, and 

 sour gum. It delights to frequent the edges of cranberry glades, 

 at altitudes up to 3,000 feet at least. Pairs enjoy rugged cliffs of 

 the deeply entrenched creeks and rivers. Others flit across abandoned 

 fields, given over to wild apple bushes, saplings, and Jersey scrub 

 pines." 



Courtship, — Dr. Dickey contributes the following notes on this 

 subject : "As early as April 25 their characteristic call notes could be 

 heard from the open windows of our house. After quite an indica- 

 tion of springtime activity, lasting fully a week, males were seen to 

 clash in more distant areas of the field, where the natural habitats 

 of pairs overlapped. They then would draw up close to one another, 

 over fences and bushes, expand their wings, spread their tails, and 

 dart rapidly at each other. They then tore some feathers from 

 breasts, held fast with their claws, and tossed and tumbled toward the 

 ground. There were periods, too, when they would actually dally 

 in the grass, and, after seemingly biting with beaks, would separate 

 and flit off in the direction of their respective nesting grounds. 

 However, such maneuvers did not last long. The remainder of their 

 excessive ardor was directed to their females. 



"Males were seen to dash from high dead limbs after females. 

 They would glide around and around walnut trees, enter under- 

 growth of yellow-locust poles, and then emerge along fencerows. 

 The female was seen to escape the encroachment of the male. She 

 would swerve upward, dart toward an abandoned cavity of the red- 

 headed woodpecker, and make a hurried retreat inside the orifice. 



