262 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



the birds in the least. They had selected a corner inside under the eaves, and 

 on a shelf-like projection reared their young in perfect safety." I know of an 

 instance where a pair built their nest in the open end of a stovepipe running out 

 from the side of a cabin near Washington, District of Columbia, and also where 

 these birds built in a stack of raihoad ties close to the track over which a number 

 of trains passed daily. 



The Crested Flycatcher builds at various heights ranging from 2 to 60 feet, 

 but usually not much over 20 feet from the ground. The nesting cavities 

 selected are ordinarily from 18 to 30 inches deep and others are considerably 

 deeper, while occasionally one is quite shallow. The .inner cup of the nest varies 

 from 2| to 3^ inches in diameter and from 1^ to 2 inches in depth. 



The eggs vary from four to eight in number, sets of five being perhaps most 

 often found, while those of six are not particularly rare. Mr. J. W. Preston, of 

 Baxter, Iowa, writes me that he took a set of seven eggs on June 6, 1886, from 

 a hollow in a dead limb which had been broken off, and in falling lodged against 

 some small saplings. The eggs were fresh and warmly covered with duck 

 feathers. The oological collection in the Academy of Natural Sciences, Phila- 

 delphia, Pennsylvania, contains a set of eight eggs, which I have personally 

 examined. The parents are usually not very demonstrative when their nests 

 are disturbed, and but rarely scold at the intruder. As a rule but one brood is 

 reared in a season, and incubation lasts about fifteen days ; the female attends to 

 these duties almost exclusively, but is not a very close setter, and it is not un- 

 common to find addled eggs in the nests of this species. An egg is deposited 

 daily until the set is completed. The young are fed principally on insects of 

 various kinds, and are able to leave the nest in about two weeks; they are cared 

 for by both parents until expert enough to care for themselves. 



The eggs of the Crested Flycatcher and those of the remaining members 

 of the gentis Myiarclms are most peculiarly marked, and differ in this respect 

 from all other North American species, excepting the White-necked Raven, whose 

 eggs resemble these somewhat in the style of markings, but not otherwise. Their 

 ground color varies from creamy to vinaceous buff, and this is overlaid with irreg- 

 ular blotches, longitudinal streaks and scratches, fine hair lines of different 

 shades of claret, liver brown, purple, and lavender, as if done with a pen, giving 

 the Qgg a unique appearance. In the majority of specimens these markings 

 are heaviest about the larger axis of the egg; in others they are more evenly 

 distributed, and in an occasional set the smaller two-thirds of the eggs are nearly 

 unspotted, and but few streaks and scratches are noticeable, as shown in one of 

 the figured types; but such instances are rare. They are mostly ovate or short 

 ovate in shape, varying occasionally to elliptical or elongate ovate. The shell 

 is close grained, rather firm, and slightly glossy. 



The average measurement of ninety-one eggs in the United States National 

 Museum collection is 22.54 by 17.47 millimetres, or about 0.89 by 0.69 inch. 

 The largest Qgg of the series measures 24.38 by 17.78 millimetres, or 0.96 by 

 0.70 inch; the smallest, 20.57 bv 15.24 milHmetres, or 0.81 bv 0.60 inch. 



