304 BULLETIN 17 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The foundation and much of the body of the nest consist of short 

 pieces of dead twigs, 1 to 3 inches in length ; mixed with these are finer 

 twigs, shreds and pieces of weed stalks, fine grasses, rootlets, and other 

 plant fibers, bits of dry leaves and lichens, fine strips of inner bark, 

 cocoons, and spider webs; the exterior is often, but by no means al- 

 ways, profusely decorated with small bits of lichens ; the whole struc- 

 ture is firmly bound together and anchored to the branch with spider 

 webs. The lining consists of finer pieces of similar material, plant 

 down, horsehair, cow's hair, fur, and feathers, with occasional bits of 

 thread or string. xVmong the feathers used are those of doves, the 

 desert quail, and the yellow feathers of the Arkansas kingbird; some 

 nests have very few small feathers in the lining, and others are 

 profusely lined or decorated with larger feathers. 



The outer diameter of the nest usually varies from 3 to 2i/2 inches, 

 rarely 314? and its height from 2 inches to 1 inch; the inner cavity is 

 2 to 1% inches in diameter, and is only 1 inch or less in depth. 



Eggs. — Three eggs seem to constitute the usual set for the vermilion 

 flycatcher, though sometimes only two are laid and rarely four. The 

 eggs are quite distinctive, being very boldly marked in striking con- 

 trasts. They are ovate or short-ovate, sometimes rounded ovate, and 

 are lusterless. The ground color varies from pure white to creamy 

 white, or rarely "cream color." They are usually heavily marked, 

 chiefly near the larger end, with very dark browns, "sepia," "bone 

 brown," or "clove brown," and with underlying, smaller blotches or 

 spots of pale shades of drab or lavender. Occasional eggs are more 

 evenly marked with small spots all over the surface, and in some the 

 markings are concentrated in a well-defined wreath. The measure- 

 ments of 50 eggs average 17.4 by 13.1 millimeters; the eggs showing 

 the four extremes measure 19.0 by 12.7, 18.0 by 14.2, 15.0 by 12.7, and 

 16.3 by 12.5 millimeters. 



Young. — The incubation period is said to be about 12 days. This 

 duty is performed mainly by the female, although Bendire (1895) 

 says that "the male assists to some extent, as I have on two occasions 

 seen one sitting on the eggs." He also says : "I believe two broods are 

 occasionally raised in a season. On June 6 I found a nest of the 

 Vermilion Flycatcher in a small grove of cottonwood trees, with no 

 other shrubbery nearer than 600 yards ; it was placed on a horizontal 

 fork of one of these trees, about 20 feet from the ground, and contained 

 three fresh eggs; close by the male was feeding a full-grown young 

 bird ; no other pair appeared to occupy this grove, and it seems very 

 probable that it belonged to these birds. The fact that I also found 

 fresh eggs as late as July 16 further strengthens this supposition." 

 Mrs. Wheelock (1904) writes: 



On April 24 the first egg was laid, and one each day thereafter until there 

 were three. Twelve and a half days were required for incubation, and during 



