Brewster on a Collection, of Arizona Birds. 77 



Mountains, where they occurred sparingly among pirions. ''They 

 are rather tame, and have a habit of sitting perfectly still for sev- 

 eral minutes at a time. Flight slow. Food insects." A fourth, 

 taken Mav 13, in the Santa Rita .Mountains, completes the series. 



14. Phainopepla nitens {Swain.) ScL Black-crested 

 Flycatcher. — The life history of this singular bird has been 

 so fully given by Dr. Coues in " Birds of the Colorado 

 Valley," that there is little chance of adding anything new. 

 Most of the specimens obtained by Mr. Stephens are from Camp 

 Lowell and Tucson, but he did not find it abundant at either of 

 these points. He speaks of it as having " a sweet but not loud 

 song," and remarks on its known fondness for mistletoe berries. 

 " Iris red." 



15. Polioptila cserulea {Linn.) ScL Blue-gray Gnat- 

 catcher. — Eight specimens, representing the following localities : 

 Chiricahua Mountains (two ^ , two 9 1 April 1-6) ; Tombstone 

 ((J, April 5); Cienega Station (J', April 16): Tucson {$, 

 April 20) ; vSanta Rita Mountains ( J* , May 20). 



16. Polioptila igihxmbQB. Baird. Black-capped Gnat- 

 catcher. — ■ This Gnatcatcher was observed at Tucson, Camp 

 Lowell, and near Yuma, specimens being taken in all these lo- 

 calities. A female shot at the first-named point on April 23 had 

 evidently finished laying, but a nest found June 27 near Camp 

 Lowell contained a perfectly fresh c^^^ while another taken at 

 Yuma. July 15, had a single egg of its owner and one of the 

 Dwarf Cowbird. These dates indicate that the species breeds at 

 least twice during the season. 



The Yuma nest, although a delicate structure, will not compare 

 with that of P. cc^riilea. It entirely lacks the exterior coating of 

 lichens so effectively employed by the commoner bird, and in its 

 general appearance closely resembles the Redstart's well-known 

 domicile, being similarly felted of soft bark-strips and hemp-like 

 vegetable fibres. It is lined with down from plants, a few 

 feathers, and the hair of some small quadruped. Externally it 

 measures 2.25 in width by 1.55 in depth; internally 1.45 by i. 

 The c^^ is pale greenish-blue, coarsely and very evenly spotted 

 with reddish-brovN-n. Its measurements are .53X-42. This nest 

 was placed in a bunch of mistletoe, at a height of about eight 

 feet from the groimd. It is accompanied by the male parent, 

 who revealed its position by repeatedly entering the mistletoe. 



