34 TYRANNIM: : FLYCATCHERS. 



typical E. acadicus" (B. Conn., 1877, P- 5 8.) This 

 species was soon after restored to its rightful place by 

 Dr. Brewer (Pr. Bost. Soc., xix, 1878, p. 306). 



Dr. Brewer states that the nest of the Acadian Fly- 

 catcher "is generally placed on a drooping limb of a 

 beech or dogwood tree, at a height of from six to ten 

 feet from the ground. It is never saddled on a limb like 

 that of a Wood Pewee, neither is it pensile like that of 

 the Vireos, but is built in the fork of a small limb, and 

 securely fastened thereto by a strip of bark. The nest 

 itself is mostly made of fine strips of bark or weed stalks, 

 woven together without much care as to neatness or 

 strength, and so slight is the structure that you may 

 often count the eggs in the nest from below. Occasion- 

 ally the bird constructs its nest of the blossoms of the 

 hickory-tree, and when thus made, it is very neat and 

 pretty." (Hist. N. A. Birds, ii, 1874, p. 376.) 



Mr. Henshaw's article compares the nest with that of 

 E. traillii to find a very striking difference. " It is a slight 

 structure made of fine grasses, interspersed more or less 

 with the blossoms of trees, the whole disposed in a cir- 

 cular form and fitted between two twigs ; a firm support 

 is derived from a binding of spiders' webs, which are 

 interwoven with the sides of the nest, and then carried 

 over the twigs on either side, encircling them with strong 

 bands. The entire base of the nest is without support, 

 and so thin is the slight structure that the eggs might 

 almost be seen from below. It was built in a small 

 tree, perhaps twenty feet from the ground. In this 

 respect the two species vary but little, both preferring 

 to select the lower branches of tree or shrub for their 

 domicile, and only rarely departing from the rule." 

 (Bull. Nutt. Club, i, 1876, p. 16.) 



