27 PACIFIC COAST AVrFAU-^-A. fNo 4 



conipaniment of considerable clamor, and those I have seen first in the 

 Slimmer h^ve invariably been sinerle birds. Of course those I have seen 

 pairing might have been birds hatched the preceeding year, or old birds 

 whose mates had been killed ; and possibly when both of a pair survive 

 they repair to their old nest of the previous 3^ear. On July lo, 1902, in 

 company with Mr. O. W. Howard about half a dozen nests of this 

 species were examined. Although in each instance both birds were seen 

 about the cavit)^ and exhibited considerable excitement at the invasion 

 of their privacy, no eggs were found,. and onlv two of the nests showed 

 signs of having been recently constructed. From these two nests Mr. 

 Howard secured sets later, on July 21. On August 30, 1902, four 

 juveniles were secured, two hardly able to fly and two nearly full grown. 

 The latter, in markings and coloration, are practically indistinguishable 

 from adults. The concealed yellow crest of the old bird is lacking, the 

 feathers of the crown merely having their bases pale safifron, not sharply 

 defined and hardly apparent at a casual glance ; and in the very young 

 birds even this feature is almost entirely absent. Also, the dark medi-^n 

 stripe of the rectrices is more narrow than in the adult ; aside from this 

 the only point of dilTerence are the slightly darker, more brownisl-- -ap- 

 pearance of the upper parts : and the softer, more blended, appearance 

 of the plumage, as is usually the case in young birds. 



This species does not occur in the higher parts of the range, nor is 

 it found in the foothills. Preeminently a bird of the heavily wooded 

 canyons, it is seen only along the streams : and all I have seen have been 

 between 5000 and 7500 feet, altitude. It is most abundant in Tanner 

 Canyon, a broad, well watered canyon with a far more gradual ascent 

 than any of the others. It is on this account, I think that this flycatcher 

 occurs in it so much more abundantly than elsewhere, for besides being 

 the longest canyon in the range, the head of it is at the lowest point 

 along the divide ; thus giving the greatest area at the altitude favored by 

 this species of any canyon in the mountains. This canyon seems to be 

 abundantlv suited to the needs of this flycatcher for almost its entire 

 length, and I have seen them very nearly to the head of it. 



Myiarchus cinerascens (Lawrence). Ash-throated Flycatcher. 



A common summer resident in the lower parts of the mountains, 

 breeding generally throughout the foothill region and along the canyons, 

 and down the washes nearly as far as the vegetation extends. It arrives 

 early in April ; in 1902 the first seen was on April 13, and the following 

 vear April 9; while on the latest date I have been in the mountains, Sep- 

 tember 5, it was still fairly abundant. 



Myiarchus cinerascens nuttingi (Ridgway). Nutting Flycatcher. 



Out of a considerable number of specimens of cinerascens from the 

 Huachucas. just two examples of nuttingi were found; so judging from 

 this it would seem to be of rare occurrence in this region. These two, 

 both females, were taken June 17, and July 13, 1896, and were evidently 

 breeding in the vicinity. They were both taken at rather a low altitude, 

 almost at the base of the mountains ; so very possibly, though rare in 

 the Huachucas, they occur more abundantly in the valleys below. 



Myiarchus lawrencei olivascens Ridgway. Olivaceous Flycatcher. 



Though during the summer months the Olivaceous Flycatcher is 

 found in considerable numbers through the lower parts of the moun- 

 tains: still from its retiring halaits, its mournful, long drawn, note is 

 heard far more often than the bird itself is seen. Seldom venturing into 



