^otes trom jptelti ant ^tutij 



A Remarkable Nesting-Site 



One day during the month of June, 19 15, 

 a pair of Yellow-breasted Flycatchers* 

 were seen, to all appearances inspecting 

 the boom of a drag-line excavator which 

 is being operated on the Shoshone Pro- 

 ject near Powell, Wyo., by the U. S. 

 Reclamation Service, and the following 

 day the birds began to build their nest. 

 At first they were rather timid, sitting on 

 the spoil-bank with a bit of grass or feathers 

 until the machine stopped swinging for a 

 minute or so, when they would put the 

 grass in 'place, flying away at the first 

 move of the boom. Thus it required two 

 weeks to complete the nest. Gradually 

 they became bolder and flew in and out 

 while the boom swung rapidly. Three 

 eggs were laid and hatched, and we had 

 the pleasure of seeing the young fly 

 away well matured. 



On one occasion, shortly after the birds 

 were hatched, the old birds were kept 

 from the nest all night by the crew mak- 

 ing repairs on the boom. Next morning, 

 at 3 A.M., the oiler found the young 

 apparently dead from exposure. He 



*Probably the Arkansas Kingbird. — Ed. 



brought them down, wrapped them in 

 waste, heated on the boiler, and soon had 

 them as lively as ever. At daybreak they 

 were placed in the nest, and soon the old 

 birds, much excited, came to them. 



This machine operated from 3 a.m. 

 until 9 P.M., and during the nesting-time 

 traveled about two miles along the creek 

 on which it was working. It is by no 

 means a quiet machine, and often we 

 expected to see the birds, nest and all, 

 thrown from the boom by the violent 

 jumping and jerking as the dipper is 

 cast out and hoisted. 



I am inclosing a photograph which will 

 give you a better idea of machine and nest- 

 ing-place. — William I. Morgan, Operat- 

 ing Engineer, Powell, Wyo. 



A Substitute for a Hollow Limb 



On June 14, 1914, I hung an old pair of 

 overalls on the line to dry. The next 

 morning, about 8 o'clock, Mother called 

 to me and said, "Look what has taken 

 possession of your overalls." At first I 

 could see nothing, but a moment later a 

 bird flew out of the right leg and off to the 

 field. So I went and sat on the doorstep, 



A PAIR OF FLYCATCHERS BUILT THEIR NEST AND REARED THEIR YOUNG AT THE 

 PLACE MARKED X IN THE ARM OF THIS DREDGE WHILE IT WAS IN OPERATION 



(139) 



