ACADIAN FLYCATCHER 195 



An excellent record of the calls of this bird is that of Simmons 

 (1925) : "A single feet or spee^ with a twitch of the tail; or a louder 

 pee-e-yuk^ uttered with wings trembling and bill pointed up. A 

 soft, murmuring, whistling call, rarely heard, uttered during a short, 

 fluttering flight. A loud, quick, and emphatic, or again, faint and 

 fretful, tshee-kee^ tshee-kee^ or "what-d'-see, what-d'-ye-see." A 

 short wick-up or hick-wp, followed by a harsh, abrupt queep-queep. 

 A short whoty-whoty. Calls frequently uttered." S. S. Dickey 

 wries (MS.) : "They are markedly noisy just before twilight, when 

 the woods are still." 



The song period, as given by Baerg (1930) for Arkansas, is from 

 May 1-June 4 to July 26-August 28. 



Field marks. — As has been said, the bird must be identified in 

 the field by habitat and note (or by nest structure, if a nest be 

 found). As to appearance, here are the baffling findings of those best 

 qualified to speak. Griscom (1923), for example, says: 



The identifiability in life of the species of Empidonax is a matter to which 

 Messrs. W. DeW. Miller, J. T. Nichols. C. H. Rogers and the writer have 

 given special attention. Collecting has proved that in spite of the greatest 

 care, it is impossible to be absolutely certain in separating the Acadian, Alder 

 and Least Flycatchers by color characters even in the spring. In the fall 

 plumage it is out of the question, the determination of museum skins often 

 being very critical. It is quite true that extremes in size or highly plumaged 

 individuals can often be named with approximate certainty, but even here 

 collecting has proved a low percentage of error. * * * They are exasper- 

 ating birds. Every spring and fall I see individuals which I am convinced are 

 one or the other, but all too rarely will they open their mouths and sing their 

 names. 



Sutton (1928) writes: "In the fall this species [virescens] is almost 

 impossible to identify, save by collecting specimens. However we 

 are positive of three records * * * (identification through call- 

 note.) * * * This call-note might be written 'weece', energetically 

 uttered." 



Todd ( 1940) writes : "It is necessary to discard or at least to ques- 

 tion the accounts of the earlier authors, who more or less confused 

 this with other species * * *. As a matter of fact, once one has 

 become familiar with their haunts and habits and in particular with 

 their call notes, it is probably easier to distinguish them in life than 

 in preserved specimens." 



Enemies. — Occasionally, though not often, this bird becomes a 

 host for the cowbird (Molothrus ater). Evermann (1889), in writing 

 of the birds of Carroll County, Ind., said of the Acadian flycatcher 

 that it is "one of the most frequent victims of the Cowbird"; but 

 Friedmann (1929), after a careful review, writes: "I know of but 

 few definite records, although many writers claim to have found 

 parasitized nests of the Acadian Flycatcher. Twenty-two records, 



