ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. 425 



south as Long Island. It is a common summer resident of Maine 

 and of the northern part of Vermont and New Hampshire. It is 

 common also in New Brunswick. West of this region it breeds 

 farther to the southward, being common in the middle of Ohio and 

 in southern Illinois and Missouri. Mr. Mcllwraith considers it 

 uncommon in Ontario. 



There has been considerable discussion over the breeding habits 

 of this species, caused by the difference in habits of the Western 

 birds from those which breed near the Atlantic. Here the favorite 

 site is a clump of alders near a running stream, and the nest is 

 placed within a foot or two of the ground; while in the West a 

 small tree is generally selected, — sometimes an oak, — and the nest 

 is placed as high as ten feet. The nest, in the West, is not so com- 

 pactly or neatly made, and the materials are coarser. The note of 

 this bird — for while the Flycatchers are not classed with the 

 Oscines, or Singing-Birds, they add not a little to our forest melo- 

 dies — is peculiar, though strictly of the family type. It sounds 

 something like ke-wink delivered with a rising inflection and the 

 accent on the final sound, which is prolonged, — quite a different 

 note from the abrupt chebec of mittimus. I have never heard the 

 song uttered on the wing ; but when the bird is perching, the 

 head is tossed back and the note is flttng out with a decided 

 emphasis of manner as well as of voice. 



ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. 



Empidonax acadicus. 



Char. Upper parts olive, slightly darker on crown; under parts 

 whitish, the sides tinged with pale olive, which reaches almost across the 

 breast; belly tinged with pale yellow; wings and tail dusky; wing-bars 

 huffy. Length 5J4 to 6 inches. 



Nest. In a tree, suspended on fork of twigs at the extremity of a low 

 limb ; rather loosely made of moss or grasses and shreds of bark bound 

 with spider's webbing. 



Eggs. 2-4; buff or creamy white, spotted, chiefly about the larger end, 

 with reddish brown; 0.75 X 055. 



The older writers had rather confused ideas regarding these 

 small Flycatchers, and Nuttall supposed he was writing of the 

 present species, when the bird he had in mind was niinijmis. 



The Acadian Flycatcher belongs to the Middle States rather 

 than to New England, and has never been taken north of the 



