108 Sketches of Some Co/nnion Birds. 



inches Ingh in position. The interior varies in width 

 between two and two and a fourth inches, and averages 

 one and a half inches in depth. Three eggs form the 

 complement in most nests, though four eggs are not un- 

 common. They are a beautiful creamy white, spotted 

 with umber and brownish, chiefly about the larger end, 

 though the markings vary considerably in size and posi- 

 tion. In size they average .72 by .52 of an inch. Of 

 twenty-three nests examined by the writer in 1894, four 

 held four eggs each, nine held three incubated eggs each, 

 four contained three fresh eggs each, and six contained 

 three young each. 



I believe that only one brood is reared in the season in 

 this section. I have carefully searched for second nests 

 without being successful, and never found nests containing 

 fresh eggs after June 28th. If the first nest and eggs are 

 taken or harried, a second attempt at nidification will 

 generally be made in the vicinity of the first site. 



The female is not a close sitter, and is seldom surprised 

 on the nest. On only two of the twenty-three nests 

 mentioned were the birds sitting, and these two were 

 found at dusk after most birds had retired for the night; 

 in fact, it was so dark that the nests would have been 

 overlooked had not the birds revealed their homes by 

 their hasty flight. When t he nest is disturbed, the parent 

 birds frequently flit about in the foliage of the adjacent 

 branches protesting with their " queet," and often betray- 

 ing much anxiety during the examination of their snug 

 premises. Usually, however, they appear to take little 

 interest in the fate of their home or family. 



The termination of the breeding season brings little or 

 no change in the habits of these flycatchers. They are 

 then more noticeable, as their ranks have been recruited 

 by the new generation. The squeaky attempts at singing 

 or soliloquy are heard oftener than in the early part of 

 the season, and the " queet" of the youngsters is louder 

 and harsher than the softened, tender tones of the older 

 birds. By visiting the weedy meadows after the middle 

 of July, we may have opportunity to see these restless, 

 spirited creatures foraging for insects beyond the drooping 

 foliage of the hedge in which they have lived so closely. 



