210 BULLETIN 179, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



quietly away when it hears the observer coming; and it will not 

 readily return to its nest, even to feed its young, if it knows that 

 anyone is watching; but it will flit about in the bushes, just beyond 

 vision, uttering its exasperating pip-pip scolding notes. 



Audubon (1840) says: "When leaving the top branches of a low 

 tree, this bird takes long flights, skimming in zigzag lines, passing 

 close over the tops of the tall grasses, snapping at and seizing differ- 

 ent species of winged insects, and returning to the same tree to 

 alight. Its notes, I observed, were uttered when on the point of 

 leaving the branch." 



Voice. — ^When I first heard the distinctive and striking note of 

 the alder flycatcher, many years ago, I recorded it at raiz-wee or 

 raiz-wheo^ the first part harsh and rasping, and the last syllable a 

 clear, loud whistle that was rather musical. Francis H. Allen has 

 sent me the following very good description of the notes: "Heard 

 near at hand the song sounds to me like wee-zee-up., with the up 

 very faint. This is a slight modification of Dwight's rendering in 

 Chapman's Handbook. A good rendering of the song is vee-feel 

 (the German wie viel), as somebody else has suggested. One of the 

 notes is an explosive queeoo, the oo at the end very short, the whole 

 having a rasping quality. The head is thrown back and the bill 

 pointed up for this note, as well as for the song. The ordinary call 

 note is a liquid pip, which is sometimes, or perhaps often, heard 

 at dusk." 



Mr. Farley (1901a), says: "The minor notes of the Alder Flycatcher, 

 like its harsh cry, are perfectly characteristic and unlike the notes 

 of any other bird. They are of two sorts, the common low pip or 

 pep, which to some ears may resemble peep, and the softly whistled 

 whisper (or whispered whistle), pip-whee or pip-whing. There is an 

 interval between the two syllables ,of this soft song, and the last is 

 accented. * * * It is a faint little cry that rarely rises above 

 the gentle rustle of the alder and maple leaves as they are stirred 

 by the June zephyrs." 



Many other renderings of the various notes have been published, 

 but they all seem to be different interpretations of the above notes. 

 And, of course, some of these are similar to those of the western 

 subspecies. 



FcM. — ^When the young are strong on the wing, during the latter 

 part of August, the families start on their southward migration; 

 and before the middle of September they have all departed from 

 their summer homes. They seem to follow a southwestward course, 

 west of the Alleghenies and through Texas into Mexico and Central 

 America, where they join the western race in its winter home. 



