376 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



in Mny, ponstrnctiiii,' its nost about the first of Jnno. This is fjenc- 

 mlly itlaced on a droopinj; limb of ji beech or dogwood tree tit tlie lieiglit 

 of from six to ten feet from the ground. It is never saddled on a limb 

 like that of a Wood Tewee, neither is it pensile like those of the Vireos, 

 but is built in the fork of a small li'ub, and securely fastened tlicreto by a 

 strip of bark. The nest itself is mostly made of fine stri})S of bark or wee«l- 

 stalks, woven together witliout much care as to neatness or strength, and so 

 very slight is the structure that you may often count tlie eggs in the nest 

 from below. Occasionally this bird constructs its nest of the blossoms of 

 the liickory-tree, and when thus made is very neat and pretty. 



The eggs are generally three in number (Mr. Jackson has never known 

 more in a nest), and they are said to be of a rich cream-color, thinly spotted 

 near the greater end. The Cow-Bird sometimes imposes on this species 

 with its pamsitic ofl'spring, but not so often as upon other birds. 



Mr. Jackson also informs me that this is quite a common bird in some 

 localities. In one piece of woodland, half a mile east of West Chester, he 

 can every season meet with six or eight of their nests, while in anotlier 

 direction, in a wood apparently similar in every respect, he has never met 

 with any. 



Mr. J. A. Allen mentions finding this Flycatcher as a rare summer visit- 

 ant in AVestern ^lassachusetts, where, as he states, it breeds in swamps and 

 low moist thickets, which are its exclusive haunts. He characterizes it as one 

 of the most spirited and tyrannical of this genus. It is said to have a short 

 quick note, sounding like qncqucal, which it utters hurriedly and sharply, 

 and to have an erect, hawk-like attitude. He adds that it is very quarrel- 

 some with its own species, a battle ensuing whenever two males meet. 

 They pursue each other fiercely, with snapping bills and sharp, querulous, 

 twittering notes. He found it a very shy bird, and difficult to collect, fre- 

 quenting exclusively, so far as he was able to observe, thick alder-swamps 

 and swampy thickets, keeping concealed among the thick bushes, or at a 

 great distance. 



Wilson's history of this species is quite brief, and he expressly states that 

 it is a bird but little known. His account of its nest and eggs is inaccurate, 

 and refers probably to that of the minimus, as also the statement that it 

 extends its migrations as far as Newfoundland. He found it inhabiting 

 only the deepest solitar}' parts of the woods, stationed among the lower 

 branches, uttering at short intervals a sudden, sharp squeak, heard at con- 

 siderable distance through the woods. As it flies, it utters a low, querulous 

 note, which it changes, on alighting, to its usual sharp cry. He adds that 

 it is a rare and very solitary bird, always haunting the most gloomy, moist, 

 and unfrequented parts of the forest, feeding on flying insects, devouring 

 wild bees and huckleberries in their season. 



To this account Audubon furnishes but little additional that is reliable. He 

 evidently confounded with it the minimxts, repeats Wilson's description of its 



