^ -| g TRA ILL'S FL YCA TCHER. 



EMPIDONAX TRAILLI. 



Traill's Plyeatctier. 



Empidonax TrailliliAlRD, BirUs N. A.; 1858, 193. 



DESCRH'TION. 



Sp. Cn Form, slender. Size, medium. Sternum, not stout. Tonsne, thin and flat hut not horny, provided wilfi ei 

 bifid tuft ol'eilia at tip which extend along the side for one tliird of the terminal.length;jello-w in color. Stomach, quite 

 Diuscular. Uirynx, prij^iiU'dwithathicli andstrong sterno-ti'achealL'i. Broncho-trachealis (luite well developed, also bron- 

 ehialis. 



Cdlou. Adxtlt. AJiiiVii,- iiTfluJio"; upper tail coverts, uniform oliTaeeotts-green, with the feathers of the head showing- 

 dusky centers. Wiusjs and tail, dark-limwn, with the outer featliers of the latter, lighter. Tips, edge.s of the terminal twO' 

 thirds of tlie secondaries, outer edges of tlie tertiaries,. tips of i)rimaries and of two rows uf wing coverts, forming bars, yel- 

 lowish-white. ]icneath,yellowish-white,beeoming darker on the abdomen and under tail coverts. Sides, flanks, and band 

 across breast, ollvaceuas. Under wiug coverts, yellowish. There is a narrow, yellowish ring arouad the eye but the lure.s 

 are olivaceous mi.xed with dasky. Bill, brown, yellow on lower mandible.. Feet, brown. 



NKSltinys: Above, very olivaceou^-brown. Beneath, yellowish. The band on the breast is .scareely discernible and; 

 the other dark markings below are nut nearly as extended. Sexes, similar in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Specimens vary gi'eatly, IV-ing often as light as typical Least Flycatchers, from which it is difficult to distinguish them.. 

 En life, the two sjjecies arc so dillerent that any one can decide between'them, but with the dried skins this is not as easy. 

 Although the experienced ornithologist separates them rather by intuition than by actimi diti'erences, yet I find by carefur^ 

 stuily of a large series of Ixith spscies tliat the fnUowing cliaracteiN in Traill'.s Flycatcher are more or less constant. The- 

 .size i~: generally larger but n-it always. The bill i< usually broader but this cannot be dejieaded upon; while the yellow 

 uniler mandilile, which in life is veined with purple, is not a jioint that counts for mucli as the teast Flycatcher occasion- 

 ally shows one that is similar. Now for the ti-ue differences. The plumage of Trailli is very silky, the rump is as dark a.s 

 as the back, the circle around the eye is quite narrow and yellow, while the lores arc decidedly olivaceous. The differen- 

 ces between this species and other members of the genus are given under observations in the succeeding pages. Distrib- 

 ated in summer throughout New England north of latitude •L'! ', and across the continent; ranging as far south in the west,, 

 however, as kititudc 37 ami north into the Fur Countries; the western form (^ta-sv/Zus) now being considered iilcnticah 

 with the eastern. Winters in Mexico and Central America.. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average mea-surements off elcvea specimcBs from New England. Length, 5 •fiO'; stretch, 8-25; wing, S-G'i; tail, 2-5S; 

 Bill, '66; taivas, '45. L;mgest specimen, 5-75; greatest extent of wing,. 8-75; longest wing, 3-75; tail, 270; bill, -70; tarsus, 

 •80. Shortest specimen, .5-20; smallest extant of wing, 7-75; shortest wing, 2'50; tail, 2-28; bill, •(!»; tarsus, •40. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS. AND EGtiS. 



Nests, placed in trees, compnscd ofsticks and weeds lined with dried grass. Dimensiow--, extermil diameter, S^OO, inter- 

 nal, [•75. External dcptfi, lb(1, internal, l^OO. 



E(jijs, three to four ini nanibcr, oval in form, creaniy-whitc in color,, spotted anil blotehetl irregularly witli reddish- 

 brown. Dimensions from ^75 x •SO to •78x •OS. 



IIAlilTS. 



For several of the earlier years of my omithologicaJ experience, I looked in vain for 

 Traill's Flycatcher and the region about my home underwent a careful scrutiny. Manjr 

 an innocent Lea*t Flycatcher fell when he chanced ta wander into the woods where I was. 

 looking for its rarer reltitive. All this close study into, the habits of at least one species of 

 the genus greatly aided me in after years and, when on the first of June, 18G9, 1 did meet 

 with the first specimen of Traill's Flycatcher that I had ever seen living, I recognized it», 

 even before shooting, as being something new. It is not at all strange that I missed find- 

 ing this little bird so long, as now, with all my experience with the species, I should be 

 ebliged to. let many migrating se.isons pass witlwut fi,nding one in P]astorn Massachusetts. 



