BIRDS OF SPRINGFIELD, MASS., ETC. 55 



moist thickets, which are its exclusive haunts. Under Musci- 

 capa qiierala (Small Green-crested Flycatcher), Wilson, in a 

 few words, has very correctly indicated the habits and notes of 

 this species. It is the most spirited and tyrannical of all our 

 Empidonaces, with which its sharp, quick note, like que- 

 queah, uttered sharply and hurriedly, and its erect, Hawk-like 

 attitude eminently accord. It is very quarrelsome with its own 

 species, a battle ensuing whenever two males meet ; they pursue 

 each other fiercely, with snapping bills and sharp querulous 

 twittering notes. It is also a very shy and difficult bird to 

 collect, frequenting exclusively, so far as I have observed, 

 thick alder swamps and swampy thickets, keeping either 

 concealed among the thick bushes, or at too great a distance 

 from the collecter. 



45. Empidonax Jlaviventris Eaird. Yellow-bellied Fly- 

 catcher. Rare. Have taken it from May 15th to June 5th. 



46. Turdus mastelinus Gmelin. Wood Thrush. Sum- 

 mer visitant, arriving May 1st to 10th. Not common, usually 

 breeding in deep, moist woods. Is more terrestrial in its habits 

 than the other Wood Thrushes. 



This species has commonly been described by authors as re- 

 markable for its shyness of man, and for selecting for its haunts 

 the most secluded woodlands ; and though this is generally true, 

 there are some noteworthy exceptions. So far as I have seen, 

 however, it is not so recluse in its habits as has been very gen- 

 erally supposed ; having found it (in May) where there were 

 but few trees and a scanty undergrowth, and even within the 

 limits of a thickly peopled village. Mr. W. H. Hall has inform- 

 ed me of a nest of this species, which he found in the summer 

 of 1861, built within a few yards of the road leading up Mt. 

 Holyoke. For three successive summers a single Wood Thrush 

 has lived among the elms and maples of Court Square, Spring- 

 field, spending the whole season in its immediate vicinity, pour- 

 ing out his melodious strains at early dawn, and at various 

 hours of the day till late in the evening, as wholly undisturbed 

 hj the people on the walks beneath him, or by the noise and 

 rattle of moving vehicles in the contiguous streets, as though in 

 the usual wild- wood haunts of his species. His superior musi- 

 cal powers have caused him to become a well-known and 

 protected favorite with the people, familiarly searching for 

 his food along the gravel walks of the Square. 



