TYRANNID.E—TYRANNIN.E: TYRANT FLYCATCHERS. 531 



to the eastern edge of the Plains ; migratory ; winters extraliniital, as far S. as Panama, com- 

 mon, in woodland, swamps, and shrubbery. Breeds from the mountains of the Middle States 

 and at any altitude from the northern tier of States, northward ; probably also in the Allegha- 

 nies S. to the Carolinas. There has been much misunderstanding about the nest and eggs of 

 this bird; the latter are described by Brewer and by Coues (J 874) as white. Nest in swamps, 

 close to ground, in a stump, log, moss, or among roots of an upturned tree, thick and bulky, 

 deeply-cupj)ed, composed chiefly of mosses and rootlets; eggs 4, sometimes 5, about 0.67 X 

 0.51, white, spotted with rusty brown in fine pattern and mostly about the larger end ; laid in 

 June. Thus the nidification is as distinctive as the coloration of this species, in comparison 

 with its eastern congeners. Note a low soft pe-a' , slowly delivered; but this species, like 

 others of the genus, has in the breeding season a certain twittering, which may be called by 

 courtesy warbling, quite different from the ordinary call-notes or cries of agitation. This bird 

 is described by Nuttall, Man. ii, 1834, p. 568, but not named, and not noted in his 2d ed. 

 1840: see Coues, Auk, Apr. 1897, p. 218. 



K. diffi'cilis. (Lat. difficilis, dis-facilis, difficult, un-doable ; very appropriate I) Western 

 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Baird's Flycatcher. Very closely resembling flavi- 

 rentris in its yellowness, but coloration dingy, instead of pure olivaceous and yellow, the latter 

 dulled with an ochrey or buffy shade, especially on lining of wings ; tail said to be longer, but 

 no tangible difference in dimensions from flaviventris. Western N. Am., Rocky Mts. to the 

 Pacific, N. in summer to Alaska, S. in winter to Costa Rica; abundant. Nest quite like that 

 of flaviventris, and eggs indistinguishable; but the position of the nest extremely variable, on 

 the ground, in trees or bushes, even in odd nooks about buildings; eggs 3-4, rarely 5, laid in 

 May and June. Some individuals of this species winter over our southern border. (E. diffi- 

 cilis Bd. 1858, A. 0. U. Lists, No. 464; E. flaviventris var. difficilis Coues, Key, orig. ed. 

 1872, p. 176 ; E. f. difficilis f Coues, Key, 2d-4th eds. 1884-90, p. 442.) 

 E. cinerit'ius. (Lat. cineritiiis, cinereous, ashy in color.) St. Lucas Flycatcher. Most 

 Vike E. difficilis : general coloration much duller; upper parts scarcely tinged with greenish ; 

 no decided yellowish below, except on jugulum and abdomen; wing-bands brownish-white. 

 Sexes similar. Wing 2.65; tail 2.40 ; tarsus 0.68. Lower California. Brewster, Auk, Jan. 

 J888, p. 90; Coues^ Key, 4th ed. 1890, p. 901; A. 0. U. List, 2d ed. 1895, No. 464. 1. 

 E. insulic'ola. (Lat. msi^^ot, an island ; cohere, to cultivate, or mcoZrt, an inhabitant.) Island 

 Flycatcher. Like difficilis ; darker and more brownish above; paler below, breast scarcely 

 Mashed with ochraceous-brown. Also closely resembling cineritiiis; darker, less ashy and 

 somewhat more olivaceous above, and more continuously yellowish below. Santa Barbara 

 Islands : locality the best diagnostic ! Oberholser, Auk, July, 1897, p. 300. For breeding, 

 see Auk, Oct. 1897, p. 405 ; eggs 2-3, dead white, speckled about large end with reddish ; July. 

 E. ham'mondi. (To Dr. W. A. Hammond, U. S. A.) Hammond's Flycatcher. Dirty 

 Little Flycatcher. Adult $ 9 : Above, (Ai\G-graij, decidedly grayer or even ashy on the 

 fore parts; whole throat and hrenst almost continuously olive-gray, but little paler than back; 

 belly alone more or less decidedly yellowish ; wing-markings and eye-ring dull soiled whitish ; 

 bill very small, and extremely narroiv, being hardly or not 0.20 wide at nostrils ; this distin- 

 guishes the bird from all but minimus and ivrighti ; under mandible usually blackish; tail 

 usually decidedly forked, more so than in other species (though in all of them it varies from 

 slightly rounded to slightly emarginate); outer tail-feather usually whitish-erf^erf externally (a 

 character often shown by trailli and minimus), but 7iot decidedly tvhite. About the size of 

 minimus; $, length under 6.00; wing 2.75; tail 2.40, both thus relatively longer ; 9 a little 

 smaller than ^, as usual in the genus. Plains to the Pacific, U. S. and Brit. Am., N. to Sas- 

 katchewan, Alberta, the N. W. Territory and Alaska, S. to L. Cala. and southern Mexico in 

 winter; migrates in May and Sept., and breeds mainly in June. This is the western repre- 

 sentative of minimus, but is tangibly distinct; the general tone of coloration is Jieavy, fall 



