?16 



North American Birds Eggs. 



45 1. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. Mijinilijnnstr-s iKtcirciitris. 



Riinge. — Mexico 

 of Arizona. 



and Central America, breedini; north to the ^Mexican border 



This peculiar Flycatcher, which is unlike any other 

 American species, can only be regarded as a rare breeding 

 l>ird in tlie Huachuca Mts. It is 8 inches in length, has 

 a grayish back streaked with black, the tail largely rusty 

 lirown and the underparts sulphur yellow, streaked on the 

 breast and sides with tlusky; a yellow crown patch is lior- 

 dered on either side l>y a stripe of mottled dusky, and is 

 separated from the blackish patchthrough theeye, by white 

 superciliary lines. Their habits are similar to those of the 

 and, like them, they nest in cavities in trees, and lay from 

 if a creamy bul^ color thickly spotted and blotched with brown 

 and purplish, the markings not assuming the scratchy appearance of the Crested 

 Flycatchers, but looking more like those of a Cardinal: size of egg 1.05 x .75. 

 Data. — Huachuca Mts., Arizona, June 2i.l. 1901. 4 eggs. Nest in the natural 

 cavity of a live sycamore tree alitiut fifty feet from the ground: composedof twigs. 

 Collector. 0. W. "Howard. 



[Creamy buff.) 



genus ^Ij/iaiTliiia, 

 three to five egi: 



452. Crested Flycatcher. ^Iijiiirrhtis i-ri nittis. 



Range. — North America, east of the Plains, and from New Brunswick and 

 Manitoba southward: winters from the Gulf States southward. 



This trim and graceful, but quarrelsome, species is gray- 

 ish on the head, neck, and breast, shading to greenish on 

 the Itack and quite abruptly into bright yellow on the under- 

 parts: the head is slightly crested and the inner webs of all 

 the lateral tail feathers are reddish brown. They are abun- 

 dant in most of their range but are generally shy so they 

 are not as often seen as many other more rare birds. They 

 nest in cavities of any kind of trees and at any elevation 

 from the ground, the nest being made of twigs, weeds and 

 trash, and generally having incorporated into its make-up a piece of cast off 

 snake skin. They lay from four to six eggs of a buffy color, blotched and lined 

 with dark brown and lavender. Size .85 x .tio. 



453. Mexican Crested Flycatcher. MiiiarcJuts mcxiiruius. 

 Range.— Mexico, north to southern Texas. 



riuiff.] 



This species is similar to the last l.iut is considerably 

 paler. They are common in some localities, nesting in 

 holes in trees or stumps, often those deserted by Wood- 

 peckers. Their eggs are like those of the last but average 

 paler. Data.— Corpus Christi, Texas, May 10, 1899. Ne'st 

 in hole in telegraph pole: made of red cow hair, feathers 

 and leaves. 4 eggs. Collector, Fi-ank B. Armstrong. 



453a. Arizona Crested Flycatcher. Mijiai-rlius inrxiraDus iniigistcr. 



Range.— Southern Arizona and New .Mexico, south through Mexico. 



This bird is very similar to, but averages slightly larger than the Mexican 

 Flycatcher. Its nesting haltits arc the same and the eggs cannot be distinguished 

 from those of the lattsr, the nest being most frequently found in giant cacti. 



