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FLYCATOHEES OF NEW YOEK. 



By Van H. Lewis. 



The shy and retiring Acadian Flycatcher 

 is one of our common summer residents 

 and its nest is quite frequently found. 

 It is usually situated in the thick, 

 dark woods, and during the breeding sea- 

 son, the male is seldom seen far from it. 

 The song of this bird is a sharp impatient 

 "chee, chee," accompanied by a nervous 

 twitching of the head and tail. They in- 

 variably build in June, choosing deep 

 woods, composed of beech and birch, and 

 if convenient near water, although I have 

 found them several miles from the nearest 

 stream. 



The eggs of the Acadian and Traill's 

 Flycatchers, cannot with certainty be dis- 

 tinguished by other than an expert, both 

 being light buff, sparsely spotted with 

 brown, and usually measuring .75x.55 

 inches, although they vary considerably 

 both in size and markings. 



Acadicus builds a rough looking nest, 

 always in the fork of a limb and fastened 

 by means of threads to the twigs, thus 

 leaving the bottom unsupported. They 

 are composed of "roller grass" and catkins, 

 and lined with fine grasses. From a dis- 

 tance the whole structure presents the 

 appearance of a wisp of hay. The nest 

 is often so frail that the eggs can easily 

 be counted from below. 



This bird usually lays three eggs, and 

 is far more shy and retiring than Traill's 

 Flycatcher which seems to enjoy company 

 and frequents thin woods, orchards and 

 shade trees, choosing for its nesting sites, 

 alder, wild-plum and occasionally apple 

 trees. Its nest is to be found, about here 

 at least, from May 20 to July 1, full, fresh 



sets being most abundant about June 1, 

 although I have taken fresh eggs as late 

 as June 20, and highly incubated ones 

 July 8. 



This Flycatcher builds a more compact 

 and durable nest than the foregoing spe- 

 cies, using grasses, small weeds and other 

 fibers for the frame, lining it with fine 

 grasses, milk-weed-down and sometimes 

 a few feathers. When robbed of its eggs 

 it immediately constructs another nest, 

 generally not far from the first, and lays 

 another set. The average set contains 

 three eggs, but nests containing two, four 

 and even five are frequently taken. Upon 

 approaching the nest, both parent birds 

 suddenly disappear, and if needed for 

 identification, it is often necessary to lie 

 in wait for them. 



The Great Crested Flycatcher also, is 

 a common summer resident, and eggs may 

 be obtained in June, which seems to be 

 the favorite breeding month of all our 

 Flycatchers. Out of thirty-seven nests 

 examined by the writer during the season 

 of '86, twenty were in the natural cavities 

 of apple trees, eleven in forest trees, five 

 in boxes put up for Martins and one in a 

 fence-post. The holes were loosely lined 

 with feathers and grass, all but four con- 

 taining at least one cast off snake-skin. 

 The eggs are from four to six in number, 

 of a light buff color, streaked from end to 

 end with light purple and lavender, meas- 

 uring .98x.75 inches. 



The Least Flycatcher is rare in these 

 parts, only two nests having been taken 

 by me in this country. These nests were 

 in maple saplings, not twenty feet apart, 

 and were placed in forks and very neatly 

 made. Both contained four pure white 

 eggs, averaging .65x.52, and were very 

 fragile. 



The Olive-sided Flycatcher is occasion- 

 ally met with, although its nest is very 

 rarely found. A set of four eggs in their 

 native nest in the possession of a friend 

 furnishes the following description; The 

 nest is a rough structure, and was taken 

 from a pine tree. The eggs (four) meas- 



