20 THE NIDOLOOIST 
borealis) is a common resident of the moun- 
tainous regions in the eastern portions of 
California during the spring, summer and 
fall, arriving at 700 to rooo feet altitude at 
about April 1 to r4, and passing to higher 
altitudes to spend the nesting period, 
returning about September 15. During 
the winter I have never seen it in the foot- 
hills and it evidently winters in common 
with other Zyrannidae far south, but dur- 
ing the spring and fall migrations it is, in 
common with Wright’s and Hammond’s 
Flycatchers and the Swallows and Swifts, 
very frequently met with. 
This summer I spent the seasou in the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains, in Tuolumne and 
Mono counties and found that the Flycatch- 
ers breeding there were the Western Wood 
Pewee, Black Phcebe, Hammond's, 
Wright’s and Olive-sided Flycatcher, of 
which the latter was by far the most numer- 
ous. Only one specimen of Traill’s Fly- 
catcher (Hpzdonax trailli) was met with, 
and that at 1,000 feet altitude. 
By May 1 the Olive-sided Flycatchers 
had all passed up, so that on leaving our 
home in Amador county on May 15, 
none were seen until May 24 when at 
3,00 feet altitude. From this point up to 
7,000 feet they were very numerous and 
were generally in the tops of the tallest firs, 
so high as to be almost out of sight and far 
beyond ‘‘dust-shot’’ range. The Olive-sided 
Flycatcher has two notes as far as I could 
ascertain. ‘The song, if it can be so called, 
is a very musical one of three notes, given 
with a firm, loud manner, very different 
from the soft, plaintive notes of the smaller 
Flycatchers. The other note is more gener- 
ally heard, particularly when alarmed or 
when the nest is disturbed; it resembles 
nothing so muchas the plaintive note of the 
Bluebird, 1epeated three times in quick 
succession, but with rather more emphasis. 
On June 1, at 4,600 feet altitude, my 
brother noticed an Olive-sided Flycatcher 
flying in a suggestive manner about a slen- 
der fir, and concealing himself awaited de- 
velopments. In a short time he saw the 
bird flying with a mouthful of nest material 
and by watching it located the nest. On 
June 20 the nest held three eggs, and the 
nest, eggs and parents were secured. ‘The 
nest is composed of two-thirds green moss, 
weeds and grass fibers, and lined with 
brown grass roots, and was placed on a 
horizontal limb of a small white fir near the 
top. It was 55 feet from the ground. The 
eggs are a delicate cream-buff, spotted and 
wreathed with lilac-brown, purple and 
sienna; incubation slight. 
The next nest was situated also in a 
white fir on a horizontal limb 4o feet up 
and on June 13, contained three slightly in- 
cubated eggs. It was admirably concealed, 
being composed of green moss and roots of 
the color of the fir and lined with brown 
roots. The third nest was found on June 
20, and contained four eggs, incubation 
about one-third; the nest being composed 
of the same materials as the other two and 
situated in a white fir 4o feet from the 
ground.” 
The Northern Division meets November 
7, at Rev. E. L. Hood’s residence in Ber- 
keley. 
7 
Brief Mention. 
THE death of N. Raymond Reed, an enthu- 
siastic Oologist and one of our subscribers, oc- 
curred at Richmond Mills, N. Y., on May 17. 
THE excellent photograph of nest and eggs of 
the Western Evening Grosbeak, from which our 
colored plate in last number was made, was kindly 
taken for us by Mr. C. Barlow of Santa Clara. 
Dr. J. A. ALLEN'S recent paper read before the 
Linnzean Society entitled ‘‘Notes of a visit to some 
of the Natural History Museums of Europe, ”’ 
shows that he gathered profit as well as pleasure 
during his trip abroad. 
THE photograph from life of a Mountain Part- 
1idge, from which our half-tone heading for 
“Field Notes’’ was made, was presented to us by 
Mr. George G. Cantwell, who took the pretty 
snap-shot in Washington. 
Aucust Kocu, of Williamport, Pa., writes of 
California Murre’s eggs, recently received as a 
premium with this magazine: ‘Am very much 
pleased with your selection, especially as to con- 
trast. It is very interesting to note the great 
difference of shape and color of the eggs of this 
species.”’ 
TuIs is from Mr. Rollo H. Beck, who took the 
rare set of eggs and nest of Western Evening 
Grosbeak, figured in colors in our last number: 
“ September number is superb! Figure of Moun- 
tain Quail takes me back to 7,500 feet altitude in 
El Dorado county, near snow line, where I saw 
original (?) of plate July 16. Hope to be there 
again some day among Grouse, Thrush, Solitaire, 
etc 
THE editor of THE NrpoLoGisT has a number 
of Petrel’s eggs, collected on the Farallones. He 
is not sure at this writing as to the most of them, 
if they are the eggs of the newly discovered Petrel 
or Ashy’s, which should be smaller than the eggs 
of the other. Later investigations may settle the 
vexed question, and meanwhile Western col- 
lectors are very properly allowing such eggs to lie 
quiescentin their collections. 
