*THE # OOLOGIST* 



VOL. VI £1. 



ALBION, N. Y.. FEB., 1891. 



'No. 2 



Flycatcher Notes. 



Students of ^bird life often spend a 

 •deal of time studying the habits of new, 

 or rare, species, thus, sometimes, fail- 

 ing to note the greater part of all that 

 goes to make the life histories of our 

 ■common birds — most of which is writ- 

 ten so plain by the little feathered auto- 

 biographers. Many, I am glad to say, 

 prefer to cultivate a deeper acquaint- 

 ance with our common door-yard and 

 wood-land birds. It is this one thing 

 which makes the Oologist worth so 

 much to many of us, presenting, as it 

 ■does, so many interesting notes on 

 species whose identity is so exceedingly 

 general. With this little note, by way 

 of introduction, I offer the following 

 notes on a few of our common birds. 



The. Kingbird or Bee Martin is found 

 breeding in this locality in most every 

 place where trees of sufficient size are 

 found, except, in woods. It shows a 

 preference for trees standing alone in 

 the center of our fields and along road- 

 sides where a sharp out look is kept for 

 passing insects, which it generally takes 

 on the wing. Twice I have found nests. 

 in trees standing by a pond and in both 

 instances the nest was about 10 ft. from 

 the shore and a little over that in heighth 

 from the water. In the next tree to 

 one of those containing one of the 

 above nests was a nest of the Wood 

 Pewee containing a full complement of 

 •eggs and in a grove hard by I found 

 three nests all containing eggs. Runt 

 eggs of this species are often found. 

 Last summer I passed by a tree in an 

 open field, which; from the noise made 

 by a pair of these birds, led me to look 

 for a nest; but when I found it it was 

 empty. As the birds did not leave I 

 got up in the tree and made a thorough 

 search and was all the more surprised 



not to find any young birds. I left the 

 tree thinking how nicely the old birds 

 had fooled me, when, looking back, I 

 saw in one of the large limbs a number 

 of Woodpecker holes. Some of the 

 cavities had been partialy torn open, 

 probably by some boy, and I thought it 

 barely possible that the young might be 

 in some of them. I climbed up and 

 after rattling on the limb sure enough 

 out they fiew, — three of them — and in a 

 few short flights reached an orchard 

 near by. At each stop the old birds 

 became very much excited and seemed 

 to be urging|the young to keep moving. 

 They arrive here about May 10th, but 

 nesting is not generally commenced 

 until the latter part of the month. I 

 have found most all my nests in elm 

 trees and never have found an egg of 

 the Cowbird in this species' nest. How 

 is this in other localities'? Most writers 

 speak of the pugnacious disposition of 

 this bird but I am led to believe that 

 some exaggerate the truth somewhat 

 as I have found other species nesting in 

 close proximity to them and never 

 noticed any fights between them. I 

 admit, however, that I have often seen' 

 them act the part of a "bully"; that 

 their song, if one may call it one, has 

 a sort of challenging ring; and that they 

 have a savage look; but who can say 

 that this may not be but their way of 

 living up to that well known maxim: 

 "In time of peace prepare for war?" 



Although dressed in very plain colors 

 and boasting of no song; yet what lover 

 of birds has not listened, on those frosty 

 spring mornings, when the grass is 

 commencing to green and all Nature is 

 awakening, with as much longing for 

 its tinkling "pe-wee" as for the Blue- 

 bird's "Bermuda! Bermuda! Bermuda?'' 

 I doubt if any bird is better known or 

 loved, throughout its breeding range, 



