(\ n. MerrUitii — Jiirds of ('<>)ui<'cficiit. 57 



and it was taken in Nevada by KisclioiV (ncordcd Ii\ I Icnsli.iw ), ;in.I 

 Ridgway,* who writes me as follows : " AltlioiiLili 1 lound ii at \v\\ 

 few localities, I am certain of its occurrence wlicicNcr suitalilc localities 



exist It tliere iidiabits tlie conilenms wdods at an altitnde 



of from about 8,000 feet np to timber line, and I noticed that it |ire- 

 ferred localities where the trees had been deadened l)y tire. The 

 only places, in Nevada, where I met with this bird, were the jiine 

 woods of the East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains." Concerning its 

 occurrence in California, Dr. Cooper says : " It seems to be resident 

 in most pai'ts of the State where it is found, but not occurring south 

 of Monterey, where Dr. Gambel found young in July. I fotnid them 

 rather common in the Coast Range toward Santa Cruz, where tliev 

 had nests in May, but I could not examine any of these, their loca- 

 tion being generally on a high inaccessible braiu-h. I also found this 

 bird at Lake Tahoe in September. It is rather silent, keeping mostly 

 on tops of the trees, and catching passing insects."f JMr. Ridgway 

 also found it breeding in California, " on the eastern slojje of the 

 Sierra Nevada." | In Oregon and Washington Territory it is, 

 according to Dr. Cooper, " a much more abundant bird near the 

 Columbia River and throughout the northern Rocky Momitains. 

 There they migrate, remaining at the Lower Columbia from ]May to 

 October."! Dr. Brewer writes : " In Washington Territory this 

 bird appears to be somewhat more common than in other portions of 

 the United States. Dr. Suckly obtained a specimen at Fort Steila- 

 cooni, July 10th, 1856. It was not very abundant about Puget Sound, 

 and showed a preference for shady thickets and dense foliage [contrary 

 to its usual habit], Avhere it was not easily shot." "A single speci- 

 men," continues Dr. Brewer, "was taken, Aug. 29th, 1840, at Nenor- 

 talik, Greenland [bj^ Reinhardt], and sent to Copenhagen. "5$ Hence 

 the distribution of this beautiful and interesting Flycatcher attbrds 

 an excellent illustration of the manner in which some species that an' 

 confined, during the breeding season, to the Canadian and Allegha- 

 nian faunoe in the Eastern Province, are found, during the same period, 

 in the far West, extending from the Saskatchewan, in Ibitish 

 America, almost, if not quite, to Mexico. 



* Bull. Essex. Inst., vol. vii, No. 1, pp. 21, 38. Jan., 1875. 

 f Ornithology of California, vol. i, p. .324. 1870. 

 X Bull. Essex. Inst , vol. vi. No. 10, p. 174. Oct., 1874. 

 §Baird, Brewer and Ridoway, Birds N. .Vni., vol. ii, p. .350. 187-1. 

 Trans. Conn. Ac.\d., Vol. IV. « July, 1877. 



