376 NOllTF AMERICAN BIRDS. 



in May, constvnctiii,t,' its jiost ahout tlio first of June. Tiiis is gt ;- 

 rally placed on a ilroopiny limb of a Leech or dogwood tree at the height 

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

 like that of a Wood Powee, neither is it pensile like those of the Vircos, 

 but is built in the fork of a small limb, and securely fastened tlicreto by a 

 strip of bark. Tlie nest itself is mostly made of fine strips of bark (u- weed- 

 stalks, woven together without much care as to neatness or strength, and so 

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

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

 the iiickory-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, thiidy spotted 

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

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



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

 localities. In one piece of woodlantl, half a mile east of West Chester, ho 

 can every season meet with si.x or eight of their nests, while in another 

 direction, in a wood ai)parently similar in every respect, lie has never met 

 with any. 



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

 ant in Western ]Massachusetts, where, as he states, it breeds in swamps and 

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

 of the most sjiirited and tyrannical of this geinis. It is said to hiive a short 

 quick note, sounding like quequcal, which it utters hurriedly and sharjily, 

 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 

 j^reat distance. 



Wilson's history of tl.is 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 solitary 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, wliich 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 mifreqnented 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 

 eviilently confounded with it the minimtis, repeats Wilson's description of its 



