196 



Bird - Lore 



where they were. I concealed myself, and one of the birds soon went to the 

 nest, which was on the horizontal branch of a small spruce. On going up 

 to the nest, I found that it contained one fresh egg instead of the young I 

 expected to find. 



The tree was small (about six inches in diameter at the base), and, as 

 the branches near the nest would not stand my weight, I doubled a piece of 



OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER ON NEST 



rope and tied it to the tree above the nest. With a piece of board this 

 made a good swing to sit in while fixing the camera. I made a bracket for 

 the camera by screwing two pieces of spruce to the trunk of the tree. The 

 nest was out on the branch thirty inches. The birds would fly past my 

 head, snapping their bills fiercely and making their strange cry. 



From the time the eggs were laid both birds got their food near the nest. 

 I saw one of the birds catch a large dragon-fly, snap ofiE the wings and eat 

 it. Most of their food consisted of smaller insects. '\ ;; : 



The male bird fed the female while she sat on the eggs. .'When either 

 of the birds went to the nest, it would leave the top of some tree, drop 

 almost to the ground under the nest, and approach it with a graceful 

 upward curve. ■ v.-^ • 



The nest was composed of small spruce twigs and shaped' very much 

 like the nest of the Green Heron. 



