TVUAXNID.K — Tin: I'LVCATCIIERS. 325 



all the way i'loni tliuiice to the lorests of the: ( '(jhimbia and tlie Walihiiiiet, 

 and throu<;li()Ut ( 'alituiiiia In hililmle .'52°. He s[)eak.s of tlieni as reinaikahly 

 noisy and «[uanvlsonie witli fath otlier, and, like the Kin^d>iid, suili'iing 

 nothing,' of the bird kind to a]>proaeh them without exhibiting their predi- 

 lection for dispute. He deseriln-s their note as a diseordant, clicking warble, 

 reseini>ling tslt'h-fsldh-tshirait, — sounding not unlike the creaking of a ru.>ty 

 door-hinge, something in the maimer of a Kingbiiil, with a blending of the 

 notes of tht; common Purph' (liakle. 



Mr. Townsend nnuitions tindinir this bird numemus along the banks of 

 the Platte, particularly in the vicinity of trees. From that river to the 

 banks of the Cohnnbia, an<l as far as the ocean, it was a verv common 

 specries. The males were w»jnderfully belligerent, fighting almost constant- 

 ly and with great fury. 



Dr. J. (r. Cooper states that in California this is an abundant species, 

 arriving in that State about the 2Uth of March. None are known to remain 

 within the State during the winter. Small parties of males come first, and 

 are very (quarrelsome initil each one has selected its mate. This is not done 

 for several weeks, and the earliest nest with q.^^\i,^ that he has found was on 

 the 12th of May at Santa Jiarbara. The nest, built on a branch of a low oak 

 near the town, was five inches wide, constructed of lichens, twigs, c(»arse 

 grass, and wool, lined with hair. It contained four eggs, measuring .94 by 

 .70 of an inch. He describes them as creamy- white, spotted with purple of 

 two shades near the larger end. 



These birds are said to be almost an exact counterpart of the Kingbird, 

 exhibiting the same courage in defence of their nests. Their notes are more 

 varied and noisy, and they utter them almost constantly during the spring, 

 often when Hying and fighting. They are very destructive to bees, but com- 

 pensate for this damage by destroying great quantities of noxious insects. 

 They leave the State in October. At Puget Sound, early in June, Dr. Coo])er 

 found this species associating with the common Kingbird without any signs 

 of disagreement, though their similar habits would naturally lead to disputes. 

 He has even seen them together in parties of four about the period of mating. 

 They do not approach the coast in Washington Territory. 



Dr. Suckley found this si)ecies abundant in the central and western por- 

 tions of Oregon and Washington Tenitory. He first noted their arrival from 

 the South about May 15. The first notification of their presence is given 

 by the skirmishes and quarrels incident to the love-season. Their battles 

 are genemlly fought in the air, and present ludicrous alternations of pursuit 

 and flight. At Fort Dalles their favorite breeding-places were oak-trees for 

 the most part. 



Mr. Charles D. Gibbes, of Stockton, informs us that these birds occasionally 

 build their nests in the shrubbery about the gardens, but more frequently 

 in large oak-trees, fifteen or twenty feet from the ground. They are con- 

 structed of weeds and grass firmly woven together, and lined with cotton. 



