OF NEW ENGLAND. 287 



mated, arc wedded for life. Occasional!}', however, an in- 

 truder presents himself, in the hope of winning the affections 

 of the female, and in these cases the male becomes irritated 

 and furious. But ordinarily he is not very pugnacious, though 

 of a rather jealous disposition. After becoming settled in 

 their summer-homes, the Least Flycatchers often limit their 

 movements, and confine themselves to some group of trees 

 much more closely than I have observed any other birds to 

 do. This may be due to a desire to project their homes. 

 They are both less expert and less active than many other 

 flycatchers, and sometimes remain for a considerable length 

 of time on one perch, uttering their loud song-notes. They 

 do not depend exclusively upon insects in the air, but occa- 

 sionally pick them up in the foliage of trees, among which 

 they pass their days, sometimes, however, alighting on a 

 fence, or on the top of a weed. They flirt their tails, but 

 never in the decided and continuous manner of the Common 

 Pewee, and, on delivering their song-note, throw the body 

 back, in the manner of Traill's Flycatcher. 



(cZ). This song-note is loud and emphatic, but wholly unmu- 

 sical, and resembles the syllables clie-bec. It is frequently re- 

 peated, occasionally at night, often for half an hour at a time, 

 and sometimes so hurriedly as to become an unmusical song. 

 The other notes are a single whit, and querulous exclamations 

 (when, when, wheu) which are more or less guttural and sub- 

 dued. 



The Least Flycatchers, though common and well character- 

 ized by their striking notes, escaped the attention of Wilson, 

 and apparently that of Audubon, until it was called to the 

 then new species by Professor Baird. This is an excellent 

 instance of the rule that the more one knows, the more one' 

 sees, though it is natural to suppose that the reverse might be 

 the case. Hence, " most discoveries are accidental, or, at 

 least, indirect." Young students, on beginning to study birds, 

 will almost invariably from year to-year discover species which 

 they have never before observed, though they may often have 

 seen them, and will find many species common which they 



