300 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



Plumage: fuscous all over, slightly more grayish on throat; a blackish 

 spot before the eye ; the tail feathers ending in webless spiny extensions of 

 the shafts. 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern North America, breeding from Florida to Labrador ; 

 wintering in Mexico and Central America. 



County Records. — Androscoggin; abundant summer resident, (Johnson). 

 Aroostook ; summer resident, scattered through the wilder uninhabited sec- 

 tions and quite common in the region of settlements, (Knight). Cumber- 

 land; common summer resident, (Mead). Franklin; common summer 

 resident, (Swain). Hancock ; summer resident, (Mvu^ch) ; locally common, 

 even on the outer inhabited islands, (Knight). Kennebec ; abundant summer 

 resident, (Gardiner Branch). Knox; summer resident, (Rackliff). Oxford; 

 breeds commonly, (Nash). Penobscot; abundant in settled portions, scat- 

 tered through the wilderness, (Knight). Piscataquis ; common summer 

 resident, (Whitman). Sagadahoc; common summer resident, (Spinney). 

 Somerset; common summer resident, (Morrell). Waldo; common summer 

 resident, (Knight). Washington; abundant summer resident, (Boardman)- 

 York ; common summer resident, (Adams). 



The first arrivals from the south sometimes appear as early 

 as April 27, more often the first week in May, and from then 

 until late August, or occasionally even as late as September 15 

 the species is found in the State. It is common throughout the 

 summer in settled regions, and rather scattered in the forest 

 tracts but general throughout the State. The species is among 

 the most aerial of birds, spending a great portion of the time 

 on the wing. They fly in short circular sweeps, keeping the 

 wings moving with quick fluttering strokes. 



When engaged in nest building they often sweep repeatedly 

 past a dead twig on some tree, making attempts to grasp and 

 break it while in flight until finally successful in their efforts, 

 when the twig is borne to the nesting site. All nesting mate- 

 rial is thus taken on the wing, and so quickly is it grasped at 

 that the momentary halt can scarcely be detected. I have 

 watched them very carefully through a glass and am inclined 

 to feel sure that both feet and bill are used in securing the 

 material, sometimes the one and again the other. 



The usual nesting place is down a chimney, preferably one 

 which the birds judge will be unused through the summer. 

 The twigs of which the nest is composed are glued to the bricks 



