132 THE WILSON BULLETIN— September, 1921 



Bluebird (sialia sialis sialis). 



A rare migrant and breeder in the vicinity of Wall Lake. I 

 have noted it oftener of late years than fovmerly. Along the Rac- 

 coon river it is much more common. First seen dates are from 

 March 5 to April 26. with May 12 and 30 as extra late dates. 



NOTES OX THE DISTKIBETION A\I» ^IKtKATIOX 

 OF XEBKASKA BIKDS 



I. TYRANT FLYCATCHERS {Tyrannidur) 

 BY :myrox II. swp:xk axd r.ili'H w. dawsox 



Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Muscivora forficata (Gmelin). 



Although this striking bird is a common summer resident aud 

 breeder from southern Kansas southward, it has always been con- 

 sidered as of purely accidental occurrence in Nebraska. In fact, 

 prior to the present year, there are but two known instances of 

 its having been seen in the state. The first of these was in the 

 fall of 1872, when L. Bruner observed a single specimen of this 

 species south of Lincoln. The bird was very clearly seen, and. 

 as the observer was familiar with the species, no doubt has ever 

 attached to this record. {Bruner. Some Xotes on Xehrriska Birds. 

 1896. p. 114.) 



The second record of this species for the state was made by 

 Mr. Charles Armstrong in the spring of 1913. Mr. Armstrong was 

 at the time a student in the Nebraska School of Agriculture, and 

 during April of that year, while he was disking in the field on a 

 farm near Greenwood, Nebraska, he saw and carefully observed 

 one of these birds, which he had never before seen or even heard 

 of. On returning to school he gave a very accurate description of 

 the bird to R. W. Dawson, including the scissor-like tail and scarlet 

 sides, and when shown the plate of this species which appeared 

 in Bird-Lore, ix. No. 6, he at once recognized it as representing 

 the bird he had seen. This second record, heretofore unpub- 

 lished, has likewise been fully accepted by Nebraska ornitholo- 

 gists. However, in both the above cases the birds noted were 

 apparently stragglers. 



On May 30, 1921, while Dr. D. C. Hilton of Lincoln, was wait- 

 ing outside the main entrance gate to Capital Beach he noted a 

 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, from the plumage evidently a female, 

 and discovered it had a nest in the last tree of a row of small 

 elms bordering the driveway after passing through the entrance 

 gate. He observed the bird long and carefully, and later on in 

 the same day both Dr. Hilton and M. H. Swenk visited the place 

 again, this time flushing the flycatcher from her nest, which was 



