Least Flycatcher 171 



in the tropics among gorgeously feathered 

 friends? Even the plain vireos, as a family, 

 wear finer clothes than the dusky flycatchers. 

 You may know that the chebec is not one of those 

 deliberate searchers of foliage by his sudden, 

 murderous sallies in mid-air. 



Abundant from Pennsylvania to Quebec, 

 the least flycatchers are too inconspicuous to 

 be much noticed. They haunt apple orchards 

 chiefly at nesting time, fortunately for the crop, 

 and at no season secrete themselves in shady 

 woods as pewees do. A little chebec neighbour 

 of mine used to dart through the spray from 

 the hose that played on the lawn late every 

 every afternoon during a drought, and sit on 

 the tennis net to preen his wet feathers; but 

 he nearly put out my eyes in his excitement 

 ind anger when I presumed on so much friendli- 

 less to peep into his nest. 



