THE GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 377 



agreeable, calling forth a fine woodland echo, and impress- 

 ing one with the animation, courage and bravery of the 

 bird. Scarcely less agreeable is his rapidly uttered twip^ 

 twip, twip, twip, twip, or even his guttural rattling call, equally 

 characteristic. Perched in the rather open top of a tall elm, 

 he appears to the best advantage in the full light of the 

 morning sun. Some 9 inches long, with the strongest out- 

 line of that peculiar form which always marks the Fly- 

 catcher ; standing in a spirited, upright attitude, with crest 

 erected, his upper parts are a fine greenish-olive, throat and 

 upper breast, ash; under parts sulphur-yellow; wings dusky, 

 edged with greenish- white; tail dusky; outer edge of the 

 primaries and under side of the tail, bright reddish-chest- 

 nut. His frequent jerk of the tail, as he sits, otherwise mo- 

 tionless, for some time on the branch, cutting an occasional 

 semicircle in quest of his passing prey, as well as his struct- 

 ure and generally pugnacious disposition all declare his 

 character as a Flycatcher. This bird is so common in our 

 forests that his notes seem almost identified with the sum- 

 mer landscape. 



Observing that the greater part of the top of a tall elm 

 in his vicinity is dead, I suspect a nest in some hollow of a 

 broken branch, and putting on my climbers, ascend to the 

 region of dead limbs. I have looked about me pretty thor- 

 oughly without success, and am about to descend, when I 

 notice, some distance .out from me, a broken limb about six 

 inches in diameter, and stretching myself along its length, 

 ten or twelve inches within its hollow end, I look into the 

 nest, which contains 5 eggs. Jamming my hand down the 

 passage with much difficulty, I secure the eggs one by one, 

 packing them in leaves in the crown of my hat, and pocket 

 the lining of the nest. So much, so good. Now I begin to 

 descend, quite elated over my success. I get about half- 



