THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



29 



Notes on The Birds of Iowa. 



Order PASSERES. 



Parching Birds. 



Birds that have the four toes on 

 nearly the same level, with the 

 hind one exactly opposite the 

 others, gfiving- g-reat facility in 

 perching-. 



Suborder CLAMATORES. 



Songlsss Perching Birds. 



Family TYRANN.ID.E. . 



Flycatc!i8.'s. 



Most of the species are strictly 

 insectivorous, hence they are in- 

 dispens'dble to the farmer. 



444. Tyrannus tyrannu3. (Linn) 

 TYRANT FIvYCATCHER. - 



King 81 d. 



Common summer resident 

 throughout the state. "Arrives 

 latter part of April and departs 

 last of August. "(H. G. Gidd- 

 ings, Jackson Co. ) "Nesting sites 

 vary widely, nests being found I'l 

 groves near dwellings, on farm 

 inachinery in yards and out in the 

 fields, in isokited trees on bound- 

 aries of farms, and in thickets by 

 the side of the lonely river. 

 Nests are composed of grass and 

 small sticks or twigs with an 

 occasional string woven in, and 

 lined with hair, wool or feathers. 

 In Lyons Co., fresh eggs may be 

 found from June first until July, 

 fifth.'VC. R. Ball.) "I observed 

 a curious nest of this bird's, com- 

 ^ppsed almost entirely of sheep's 



wool. It contained 3 eggs."! P. 

 C. Woods. ) "I have a rant egg 

 about the size of a Yellow Wur- 

 bler'o which I found with two full 

 sized ones in a deserted Blue Jay's 

 nest. Two peculiar nesting sites 

 I remember were, one on top of a 

 rotten post and one between the 

 spokes of a- rake wheel. "(Jno. V. 

 Crone, j "The spots on different 

 sets exhibit two phases of colora- 

 tion, some sets being spotted with 

 clear bright brown and others 

 with d^rk purplish brown. Have 

 found a runt egg' smaller than a 

 Wren'G.^"(R. M. Anderson. ) 



452. Myiarchus crinitus,( Linn, ) 

 CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 



.'-'Tolerably, common summer 

 resident in Jackson Co., NestS; in 

 holes in trees. ,Very retiring in 

 its habits, ■ generally frequents 

 deep woods. Present in '94 from 

 May 15, -to September 2." (H. G. 

 Giddings. ) "Common summer 

 resident ' in Van Buren Co. 

 althoug-h not abundant. "(W. G. 

 Savage.).: '^' Arrives second week 

 in May, departs second week in 

 September. . Its, presence is 

 .always made known by its harsh 

 cry. Nests in natural cavities or 

 deserted woodpecker holes high 

 up in trees. Nests of any trash, 

 feathers or woolly substances and 

 a cast off snake skin." (Lynds 

 Jones. ) Rare in northern part of 

 the state. F. G. Richardson has 

 taken specimens in Cerro Gordo 

 Co. Common summer resident in 

 Dallas Co., making the woods 



