64 Twelve Months With 



identification, is the characteristic habit of darting 

 from the limb of tree or bush into the air and snap- 

 ping at insects and then fluttering back to the perch 

 to watch for the next quarry. Most other insect- 

 eating birds gather the insects from the surface of 

 trees or leaves. The Traill's is about six inches in 

 length, the Acadian somewhat smaller, and the 

 least flycatcher, the smallest of them all, is little 

 more than five and a half inches in length. All 

 three have olive-green and fuscous or brownish 

 backs, and are somewhat difficult to distinguish, 

 but the least flycatcher may usually be identified 

 by its smaller size and its horn-colored lower man- 

 dible, which in the other two species named is 

 white or flesh colored. The Acadian is perhaps 

 the most often seen in the Mississippi Valley. 



My first experience with the Traill's flycatcher 

 was an interesting one, and may aid other bird 

 students in distinguishing this little flycatcher 

 from some of its similarly marked congeners. One 

 late afternoon in May I was attracted by a small 

 bird, darting up from a low bush in pursuit of 

 insects, and although there were other shrubs near, 

 I noticed that he always suddenly darted back 

 after capturing his meal to the very twig from 

 which he had flown. On several occasions he 

 darted out in a horizontal direction from his 

 perch, snapped up the insect, and then although 

 there was an equally desirable perch directly 

 beneath him, he would precipitately dart back to 

 the identical bush from which he had flown, all 



