244 NESTS AND EGGS OE 



shed. The eggs are white, ovate in shape, and measure .71X.53, 

 .72 X .55, .72 X .55, .75 X .56, .73 X .54. 



458. Sayornis nigricans (Swains.) [317. J 



Blaok Phoebe. 



Hab. Southwestern United States and Mexico— Texas, through Southern New Mexico and Arizona to 

 California, northward along the coast to Oregon. 



This bird's general color is like that of the "Black" Snowbird, 

 Junco hyemalis^ now called Slate-colored Junco. It is an abundant 

 species throughout California, Southern Arizona and New Mexico, and 

 its general habits are much the same as those of the common Phoebe- 

 bird ; the nests are also constructed in similar situations as those of the 

 Eastern species — in caves, on ledges of rocks, under bridges, in deserted 

 dwellings, etc. The bird is found more or less abundantly along 

 streams, and is said to prefer the vicinity of human habitations. Mr. 

 Walter E. Bryant records a pair of these birds that built for two consec- 

 utive years in a well, four feet below the surface. The first year a sec- 

 ond nest was built after the first had been taken. 



Four or five eggs are laid. A set of four eggs is in my cabinet, 

 taken April 26, from a nest in a barn by Mr. S. C. Evens, at San Jose, 

 California. Two of them are white, unmarked, and the other two are 

 sparsely dotted at the larger end with light reddish-brown ; their sizes 

 are .73X.59, .80X.59, .81X.57, .80X.58. 



Two other sets in my collection are unmarked. Mr. Norris has two 

 sets of eggs of the Black Phoebe ; one of four was taken in Los Angeles 

 county, California, May 10, 1887, from a nest placed in a cleft of rocks. 

 The eggs are of a light cream color, three of them unmarked, and one 

 with a few pin points of reddish ; their sizes are .74X.56, .74 x .56, .75 x 

 .56, .72 X .56. A set of five, collected April 3, 1885, in Pinal county, 

 Arizona, was taken from a nest under the shelter of a rock by the side 

 of a stream. These are also of a light cream color ; three of them 

 marked with small specks of reddish, the others being unmarked. 

 They exhibit the following sizes : .74 x .58, .76 x .58, .79 x .60, .77X .57, 



.75 X .59- 



459. Contopus boreaUs (Swains.) [318.] 



Olive-sided Flycatcher. 



Hab. North America at large, north even to Greenland, south in winter to Central America and 

 Columbia. 



The Olive-sided Flycatcher, apparently nowhere abundant — at 

 least it seems to escape the notice of observers — is very rare in the 

 Middle and Southern States, but less so in the West. It frequents the 

 coniferous woods of the mountain districts and those of the lowlands, 

 breeding from Northern United States northward. In some localities 

 of New England the Olive-sided Flycatcher is rather common, where 



