210 



THE OOLOOIST 



centimeters (Fig. 1). At its center, it 

 has a depth of two and a half centi- 

 meters, and a width at the circumfer- 

 ence averaging six and a lialf centi- 

 meters. 



It is hardly necessary to state that 

 neither Wilson nor Audubon ever 

 heard of this flycatcher; and the des- 

 criptions of the nest vary considerably 

 as given us by recent descriptive orni- 

 thologists, who have enjoyed the op- 

 portunity to examine the material 

 first hand. For example, Coues states, 

 in the fifth edition of his "Key" (p. 

 525) : "common in mountainous pin- 

 eries, where it nests in June, both on 

 coniferous and deciduous trees, with- 

 drawing southward in September. I 

 took the first specimen known within 

 our limits at Fort Whipple, Ariz., Aug. 

 20, 1864. Nest like that of the com- 

 mon Wood Pewee, but larger, 4.00-5.00 

 in diam. outside by 2.00 deep, cupped 

 2.00-3.00 by about 1.00, composed most- 

 ly of grasses, with some leaves, cat- 

 kins, mosses, lichens, cobwebs, etc." 



Another authority, Chester A. Reed, 

 says, on page 220 of his "North Amer- 

 ican birds' Eggs," that "This Fly- 

 catcher builds one of the most artis- 

 tic nests created to that of the next 

 species [Wood Pewee, (Contopus vir- 



ens)], but is much more firmly made, 

 and the walls are usually higher mak- 

 ing a very deeply cuppped interior. 

 The outside of the nest is made of 

 fibres, catkins, etc., firmly felted to- 

 gether, and ornamented with green 

 lichens to match the limb upon which 

 it is saddled. The interior is heavily 

 lined with dried, yellowish grasses, 

 making a very strong contrast to the 

 exterior." 



Be it noted that Reed says that the 

 nest of this species has " a very 

 deeply cupped interior," which is not 

 the case with the specimen before me 

 at this writing. However, it is quite 

 possible that a nest may become some- 



what flattened out through the nature 

 of the packing that some collectors re- 

 sort to, in order to transport their 

 specimens to distant points. In regard 

 to this, it will not be altogether out of 

 place to say here that, in fllling the 

 interior of a nest for shipment, a firm 

 cotton or oakum wad should be made 

 that has the exact form of the interior 

 of the nest, and so compact that no 

 ordinary pressure would fiatten it, or 

 otherwise alter its shape. Then it is 

 a good plan to take the exact meas- 

 urements of the nest in situ, and to 

 send on those measurements as part 

 of the field data. 



Passing to the description of the 

 full set of eggs of this species, it will 

 be noted that the clutch consists of 

 four (4), whereas both Coues and 

 Reed state that this Flycatcher lays 

 but three eggs to the set. Thus Coues 

 says: "Eggs 3, about 0.83 X 0.63, 

 creamy buff, spotted with lighter and 

 darker reddish-brown and lilac, the 

 marking sparse and tending to 

 wreathe about the large end" (loc. cit., 

 p. 525); and Reed: "They lay three 

 eggs of a rich creamy color, spotted 

 and blotched, chiefly about the larger 

 end, with reddish brown and lilac 

 gray. Size .85 x .61" (loc. cit., p. 220). 

 The form of any one of the eggs of 

 this flycatcher before me is quite dif- 

 ferent from the flgure given us by 

 Reed of the species. Any one of the 

 four is very broadly ovate, — that is, 

 inclined to be pointed at the apex, 

 broadly rounded at the but, with the 

 long diameter shortish; this can be ap- 

 preciated by studying the set in Fig- 

 ure 1 of this article. They are of a 

 creamy white color, sparsely spotted, 

 wreath-fashion, about the greater end, 

 the spots being of a deep, earth-brown 

 rusty brown and lilac. The apical 

 half of the egg is almost immaculate, 

 only a few, very minute spots passing 

 over the middle of the egg toward the 



