THE OOLOGIST. 



I3y 



In fact in only a very few instances out 

 of the large number of nests that I have 

 examined, have I seen either bird in 

 the vicinity. 



The number of eggs to a set seems to 

 vary with the locality. In almost all 

 the complete sets which I have collect- 

 ed, six eggs composed the complement, 

 while a friend, who has also collected 

 many sets of this species informs me 

 that he has almost invai'iably found 

 four eggs to be a complete set. His 

 sets were obtained in the vicinity of 

 Newark, N. J., where I am told these 

 birds are numerous. 



Davie gives four to six as the number 

 to a set, but this summer on June 21st, 

 while collecting with a friend at Rich- 

 mond Hill, L. I. I was fortunate 

 enough to take a set of seven from a 

 hole in an apple tree six feet from the 

 ground. The nest cavity is generally 

 large enough to admit of the hand but 

 in this instance the hole was smaller 

 than is usually the case and the eggs 

 had to be withdrawn by means of a 

 spoon which should always be carried 

 for such emergencies. 



The eggs of this set were in varying 

 stages of incubation, one containing a^ 

 embryo while another was entirely 

 fresh. In another cavity in the same 

 tree was a nest of the English Sparrow 

 containing six eggs while in a maple 

 close by was a family of Yellow Warb- 

 lers just ready to fly. 



This bird usually builds in regions 

 removed from from the near society of 

 man, but on the day that I collected the 

 set of seven I observed an instance of 

 this bird nesting close to civilization.' 

 A friend living on Richmond Hill said 

 that he had found an egg in his yard 

 which he was unable to identify. He 

 produced the egg and I at once pro- 

 nounced it a Great Crested Flycatcher's 

 and expressed my astonishment at this 

 bird's nesting so close to a house. 

 Without saying a word he walked to a 

 tree near the front walk and gave it a 



sharp rap with his hand. Simultan- 

 eous with the rap the Flycatcher who 

 had doubtless heard him approach, 

 flew from its hole some five feet from 

 the ground and perched on a dead limb 

 some distance away, raising and low- 

 ering its crest with an excited, jerky 

 movement in an exceedingly ludicrous 

 manner. 



I had previously searched for years 

 in vain for a nest of M. crinuts at Rich- 

 mond Hill and had begun to think that 

 this bird was not a breeder in that lo- 

 cality. 



I hiive never found a nest of this species 

 placed more than fifteen feet from the 

 ground, and the average height is about 

 six feet. The nests were nearly always 

 placed in holes in apple trees in isol- 

 ated orchards, which localities are the 

 favorite haunts of this Flycatcher. They 

 sometimes, however, utilize bird houses 

 and Mr. W. E. Loucks in the February 

 OoLOGiST mentions a pair which nested 

 ''in the corner of a dancing |pavilion 

 under the roof." 



The nest is composed of miscellan- 

 eous substances, sticks, fine strips of 

 bark, grasses, feathers, fine stems and 

 rootlets and the invariable snake skins. 

 Paul H. MoTTELA.r, 

 New York City. 



Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. 



This species is common throughout 

 this and adjoining counties. It is very 

 noisy as it goes through the woods 

 catching its food which consists of 

 gnats, etc. There is scarcely a piece of 

 woods that does not afford a habita- 

 tion for one or more pairs of these busy 

 birds. 



The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher arrives 

 here in the first part of April being 

 common about the 15th. The nests are 

 l^laced on horizontal or drooping limbs 

 and upright forks. When the first it is 

 saddled and sometimes an upright twig 

 affords a supj)ort to either side. Some- 



