BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER. 



751. Polioptila caerulea. 



inches. 



190 



Forehead black; tail black with white edges and 

 tips to the outer ones. 



Their food is chiefly insects, which they are very 

 expert in catching, taking them on the wing with 

 great celerity. Its movements are all very rapid, 

 flitting from one part of a tree to another but usually 

 among the upper branches. Their nests are one of 

 the most beautiful of bird architecture, even sur- 

 passing that of the Humingbird. 



Song. Sweet but very faint. 



Nest. Situated on horizontal limbs of trees at 

 medium heights; made of plant fibres, wooly sub- 

 stances and cobwebs, adorned with handsome lichens; 

 the walls are very high and thick, the bird sitting 

 so low inside that only her tail is visible; the four 

 or five eggs are bluish white specked with reddish 

 brown (.56 x .44). 



Range. Eastern U. S., breeding north to New 

 Jersey and Illinois. 



