FLYCATCHERS 319 



larger end with cinnamon, and walnut brown. Two nests were 

 taken at Fort Fairfield by Mr. C. F. Batchelder on June 14 

 and June 27, each containing four eggs. One set measures 

 0.68 X 0.52, 0.68 x 0.52, 0.66 x 0.51, 0.66 x 0.51. The other 

 set measures 0.67 x 0.54, 0.70 x 0.54, 0.67 x 0.53, 0.67 x 0.51. 

 (Batchelder, B. N. O. C. Vol. 3 and Vol. 4.). 



The food is almost entirely insects, and they would have no 

 great difficulty in making many hearty meals per day on the 

 mosquitoes which infest their haunts and which they take in 

 goodly numbers along with other winged insects. 



466a. Empidonax traillii alnorum Brewst. Alder Flycatcher. 



Plumage of adults : above olive brown ; the wing coverts tipped brownish 

 ashy ; wings and tail fuscous ; below white ranging to grayish on breast and 

 sides and yellowish on the belly ; throat white ; upper mandible black, lower 

 one whitish. Immature plumage : wing bars ochraceous buff, otherwise sim- 

 ilar. Wing 2.80 ; culmen 0.60 ; tarsus 0.65 ; tail 2.50. 



Geog. Dist.— Eastern North America from Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 

 wick through New England westward to at least Michigan ; wintering in 

 Mexico and Central America. 



County Records. — Androscoggin ; fairly common summer resident, (John- 

 son). Aroostook; seen at Houlton, (Purdie, B. N. 0. C. 1, p. 76) ; common 

 in the Woolastook Valley, (Knight). Cumberland; common summer resi- 

 dent, (Brown, C. B. P. p. 18). Franklin ; common summer resident, (Swain). 

 Hancock; quite common summer resident, even on the wooded islands, 

 (Knight). Kennebec; rare summer resident, (Robbins). Knox; summer, 

 (Rackliff). Oxford; rare breeder. (Nash). Penobscot; common summer 

 resident of alder thickets, (Knight). Piscataquis ; common summer resident, 

 (Whitman). Sagadahoc; rare summer resident, (Spinney). Somerset; 

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

 (Knight). Washington; not uncommon summer resident, (Boardman)^ 

 York ; one observed in Kennebunk, June 19, 1892, (F. H. Allen). 



The species arrives about May 20 or a few days later and 



remains until exceptionally September 5. It is common 



throughout the State in suitable localities, such as bushy alder 



thickets by the roadsides and along streams and about ponds, 



being found almost anywhere that the suitable low bushy 



thickets occur. The note uttered in spring after its arrival is 



a "eaze-we-up" and when the nest or young are in danger it 



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