EMPIDONAX FLAVIVENTRIS. 423 



Ur! vouii":; arc .strong uiiough to ily well, lor, alf'.i )uu;h I have a .siujtle sp-eiiiieii obtained 

 in Pennyphiuiia as late as the ninth of September, I was muibk.to Uud aiiy.(|iidiig t'lo 

 last week in August and look upon the one captured as a .straggler. 



EMPIDOMAX FLAVIVEMTRIS. 



YelSovv-bf^Mied FK'cstcher. 



DESCllirilUN. 



Si'. Cn. Form, rather .skni^lcr. Size, small Sternum, not stout. Tongue, tlra a-vl tiit bat nut horny, 

 bifiil at tip but not providcil with teniimal cilia. HiH, short. Stoniaeli. muscular, walls ['>. tliick. Larynx 

 provided with a thick and stmnj^ steruo-trachelis. Bronchiali.s, ijuite well dex'eh'iied, hut there are no traces 

 of either division of the bronclio-traehealis. 



Color. Adult in spring Above, includin,' upper tail coverts, decidedly jireenish-olivaceous, darkest 

 on the head where the feathers show dusky centers. \Viii;^s and tail, brown, with the outer edges of all the 

 feathers greenish. Tips, el'.res of the terminal two thirls of the secoulirie.s, outer edges" aiid 'tit's of the 

 tertiaries, tips of two rows of wing coverts, forming bars, yellowish-white, with the uppor bars inclined to 

 be of a deeper yellow. Beneath, including under wing an^l tail coverts, greenishrxellow with the sides, flanks, 

 and an indistinct band across the breast, olivaceous. There is a greenish-yelloyv rin_g around the eye, but 

 the lores are olivaceous. Bill brown, yellow on the lower mandible. Feet.br own. 



Adult in autumn. Inclined to be darker above, more dusky below, and the yellowish markings on the 

 wings are darker. 



Young of the year in autumn. Quite dark above hut decide Uy groeni.sh. The light markings of the 

 wings are quite yellow and broader than in the adult, otherwise similar. 



Nestlings. Quite slaty above, and much lighter below, being nearly white, and the darker areas arc slaty. 

 The ring a round the eye and the markings on the wing. are. fully as bright as in the, more^adult stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. ^ -' -, -..-.. .v^: v. ., ..... 



Specimens of the same ago and season do not vary much, but the form of the bill' varies slightly. This 

 is the greenest of our Eastern Flycatchers and may be distinguished at once by the smaller size, an 1 yellow 

 colors below. Distributed in summer throughout Eastern United States, north of tlie latitude of Massa- 

 chusetts and possibly along the mountain ranges into Pennsylvania. \YiiUers in, South America. 



DIMENTIONS. ,„ ■ _ . ^r- _. • 



Average measurement of five specimens from Upton. Maine. Length, .0 35; stretch, 8-40; wing, 2()8; 

 tail, 207; bill, 75; tarsus, .42. Longest spe.nmen 5-55: greatest extent of wing, S-7(): longest wing, 2-75; 

 tail, 2-15; bill, .82; tarsus, -45. Shortest specimen, 5-10; smallest extent of wing, 7 ■!)0; shortest wing, 2 GO; 

 tail, 200; bill, -66; tarsus, -40. 



DESCRirnON OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests,. (From description kindly given me by Mr. IL A. Purdie.) placed under the shelter of roots of 

 upturned trees or in bunches of moss, composed of moss, lined with black rootlets, pine needles, and grass. 

 Dimensions, external diameter, :^5(.), internal, 2-5(). External deiith. 4.2."), internal, t'50i 



Eggs, five in number, rounded-oval in form, creamy-white iu cjlor, spotted with light redlish-hrown. 

 Dimensions from ■75.x'50to ■78.x 55. 



IIACITS 

 I have described tlie preceding species of Flycatchers as inhabiting deep glens and as 

 being fond of the obscure light of the w^oods, but the .Yejlow-bellied Flycatchers are nio4 

 decidedly, of all the genus, the true cliildren of the shade, for they are seldom found else- 

 where than in the thickest swamps. Even in these secluded retreats, they avoid the tops 

 of the bu.shes, keeping wxdl down in the dense foliage, often perching within a foot of the 



