THE WESTERN FLYCATCHER. 385 
Spokane, is a typical resort and a mere tyro can see three or four nests there 
on a June day. 
The Pewee takes the public quite into her confidence in nest building. 
Not only does she build in the open, without a vestige of leafy cover, but 
when she is fully freighted with nesting material, she flies straight to the 
nest and proceeds to arrange it with perfect nonchalance. If a nest with eggs 
is discovered in the bird’s absence, she is quite likely to return and settle to 
her eggs without a troubled thought. 
The nest is a moderately deep, well-made cup of hemp, fine bark-strips, 
grasses, and similar soft substances; and it is usually saddled upon a hori- 
zontal limb of pine, larch, maple, alder, oak, aspen, cottonwood, etc. But, 
occasionally, the nest is set in an upright crotch of a willow or some dead 
sapling. Nests having such support are naturally deeper than saddled nests, 
but the characteristic feature of both sorts is the choice of a site, quite 
removed from the protection of leaves. The grayish tone of the bark in 
the host tree is always accurately matched in the choice of nesting materials 
and, if the result can be secured in no other way, the exterior of the nest 
is elaborately draped with cobwebs. 
All eggs appear beautiful to the seasoned odlogist, but few surpass in 
dainty elegance the three creamy ovals of the Pewee, with their spotting of 
quaint old browns and subdued lavenders. They are genuine antiques, and 
the connoisseur must pause to enjoy them even tho he honors the prior rights 
of Mr. and Mrs. M. Richardsonit. 
No. 148. 
WESTERN FLYCATCHER. 
A. O. U. No. 464. Empidonax difficilis Baird. 
Synonym.—WeEstERN YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. 
Description.—Adults: Above and on sides of breast olive or olive-green; 
a lighter shade of same color continued across breast; remaining underparts yel- 
low (between sulphur and primrose), sordid on throat and sides, clearest on 
abdomen; bend of wing sulphur-yellow ; a faint yellowish eye-ring; axillaries and 
lining of wings paler yellow; middle coverts and tips of greater coverts, continu- 
ous with edging of exposed secondaries, yellowish gray, forming two more or 
less conspicuous wing-bars. Bill brownish black above, yellow below : feet and 
legs brownish dusky : iris brown. Young birds are browner above ‘and paler 
below ; wing-bars cinnamon-buffy, (and not certainly distinguishable in color from 
young of £. traillii). Length 5.50-6.00 (139.7-152.4) ; wing 2.64 (67); tail 2.24 
fag bill47 (22) ; tarsus (67 (17). 
Recognition Marks.—WVarbler size; characterized by pervading yellowness ; 
