1 86 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



than either the Kingbird, Phoebe, Wood pewee or Least flycatcher, though 

 commoner and more generally distributed than the other members of 

 the family. The Crested flycatcher is more confined to the groves and 

 forests than the Kingbird and though often seen occupying exposed posi- 

 tions on tops of dead trees or fence posts, is rarely observed far from the 

 friendly shelter of abundant foliage. His loud shrill whistle which sounds 

 like the syllable "wheep " and resembles somewhat a similar cry of the 

 Red-headed woodpecker may be heard for one-fourth of a mile and serves 

 inevitably to call attention to this bird wherever he has established his 

 home. He is the brightest colored of all our flycatchers and is a bird of 

 great courage and interesting habits. The nest is usually concealed in 

 a hollow tree or old woodpecker's hole at a height of 15 to 50 feet from the 

 ground, composed of grasses, rootlets, hair, pine needles and invariably 

 the cast off skin of a snake is woven among the contents of the nest, to act 

 as some have fancied, as a terrifier of red squirrels and Red-headed wood- 

 peckers which might see fit to attack the eggs or young. The eggs are 

 usually 4 in number, sometimes 5 or 6, the ground color a rich cream, 

 profusely marked with " pen streaks " of chocolate and reddish brown. 

 They average .92 by .68 inches in dimensions. After the mating and 

 breeding season this flycatcher is less noisy and often escapes attention 

 so that he is supposed to depart for the south early in August, but if one 

 searches carefully in his haunts among the foliage and watches for his 

 spirited sallies in quest of flying insects, it is evident that he has not deserted 

 his favorite groves but remains with us to the date stated above. The 

 Kingbird and Crested flycatcher are both valuable on account of their 

 preference for the larger flying insects, especially beetles, like the June 

 beetles and other large Coleoptera which are shunned by our smaller 

 species. 



