18 Bulletin No. 1 



The closing words are quoted : "During my two years in California I 

 found about 260 species of birds. In winter months when vast armies of 

 Northern birds are there, Californian birds will doubtless outnumber ours 

 of the same months, numerically, a hundred to one. When the last 

 migrant has departed, and the home birds settle down to their spring's 

 work, it is doubtful if there are many more than in New England. 

 When you talk of song, however, the chief charm of the bird, it will, 

 with few exceptions, bear no comparison, either in quantity or quality, 

 with our northern singers." 



Mrs. Woodworth has kindly promised to read the paper again at the 

 joint session of the two Clubs at the next winter meeting. 



THE NEST OF AN ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. 



(Eiitpidonax viresceus) 



By Dr. L. H. Ross, Bennington. 



It was on the 14th of July 1904, that the writer accompanied by his 

 wife went in search of wood thrushes. This necessitated visiting the 

 mountains east of Bennington as the birds rarely in that vicinity come into 

 the valleys — in fact so infrequently that they are known locally as the 

 "mountain thrush." 



As they were ascending a wood-road leading up one of the foothills 

 about four miles southeast of Bennington, they came to a small clearing 

 surrounded by second growth timber, with now and then a tree of older 

 growth. Hearing the thrushes about, they took positions in a spot sur- 

 rounded by small bushes which concealed them. Hardly had they seated 

 themselves, when from a small tree near by came two notes which re- 

 sembled the first notes of a white-throated sparrow. Glancing in the 

 direction from which the notes came, the listeners perceived that they 

 proceeded from a flycatcher. The bird was joined by his mate. First one 

 and then the other would dart out and seize a passing insect, return to its 

 perch on a dead branch, and then repeat the two notes energetically. As 

 far as their observations went, the notes were always given while perch- 

 ing. They studied the birds carefully and after following them a short 

 distance found their nest which was in a beech tree about 30 feet from 

 the clearing. It was hung from a fork of a horizontal branch, 8 feet 

 from the ground; was loosely constructed of white birch bark and lined 

 with pine needles and hair. The nest contained three young fully 

 feathered and nearly ready to fly. When the spot was visited about a week 

 later, the nest was empty and neither adult birds nor the young were 

 to be found. 



