72 MoxJSLEY, Birds of Hatley, Que. [j "„ 



this perhaps is not so surprising when one considers how well it harmonizes 

 with its natviral surroundings, and that the bird is by no means plentiful 

 here, and seems to confine itself to the woods in preference to orchards and 

 roadsides like the Kingbird and Least Flycatcher. 



46. Empidonax trailli alnorum (Brewster) . Alder Flycatcher. — 

 Ck)mmon summer visitant; May 16 to Aug. 19. Average date of arrival 

 (for four years) May 21; of departure (for three years) Aug. 17. Eggs: 

 June 8 to July 17. It is only by nest hunting that one can gain any idea of 

 the abundance or otherwise of this species, as the bu'd is most secretive and 

 one rarely gets a good view of it in the open. It is fairly common here and 

 I have had no difficulty in locating some five or six nests each season. A 

 fuU set of eggs consists quite as often of thi-ee as four, but on one occasion 

 I came across one of two only. In tliis case I had the nest under observa- 

 tion from the first day it was started and only took the eggs after incubation 

 had been in progress some few days. Dr. Coues is the only author that 

 I have noticed so far who mentions the fact of this bird sometimes laying 

 two eggs in a set only. 



47. Empidonax minimus (W. M. & S. F. Baird). Least Fly- 

 catcher. — Common summer visitant; May 9 to Aug. 20. Average date 

 of arrival (for four years) May 13; of departure (for three years) Aug. 17. 

 Eggs: June 1 to July 19. Most orchards contain their pair of " Chebecs," 

 and one adjoining my house has been the home of a pair for the past four 

 years. Only on one occasion have I found the birds nesting in the woods, 

 and then it was a small one, and not far from a house. The late date of 

 July 19 is for a second set of eggs, the first having been destroyed. In this 

 case the bird built her second nest not only in the same tree, but in the 

 very same fork as the first one had been placed in, surely a most unusual 

 occurrence. 



48. Otocoris alpestris praticola (Henshaw). Prairie Horned 

 Lark. — ^ Fairly common summer visitant; March 7 to June 22. Average 

 date of arrival (for four years) March 15. Eggs: April 14 to 23. It was 

 not until April of the present year (1915) that I discovered this interest- 

 ing species breeding here, four nests being located during the month. So 

 many new facts were noticed with regard to its nesting habits that I have 

 written a special article (which will appear in this Journal) dealing fully 

 with the subject, and showing a nest with " paving ", a trait which hitherto 

 I believe has onlj^ been noted with regard to the Desert Horned species. 

 Contrary to the generally accepted idea that it never perches in trees, I have 

 seen it do so on many occasions, but this has been dealt with also in the 

 aforesaid article. Of the fom- nests located all were warmly lined with the 

 flower heads and plant down of the pearly everlasting (Annphalis marga- 

 ritacea) a plant which is most abundant here. Three contained a set of 

 four eggs each and the remaining one thi'ee young birds, this latter nest 

 being in a very damp situation, and the paving consisting of very small 

 flat stones instead of cow-chips as in the others, which were all in dry 

 situations. 



