246 LIFE HISTOEIBS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



southern Arizona as in northern Washington and Idaho, and wherever water 

 and a few willows are to be found, no matter if the surrounding country may 

 otherwise be a perfect desert, some of these birds are sure to be seen. This 

 Flycatcher is, if anything, more noisy than our common eastern Kingbird, and 

 utters also a greater variety of notes; some of these resemble the squeaking 

 sounds of our Grackles; others are indifferent efforts at song— a low, warbling 

 kind of twitter — while occasionally it gives utterance to shrill, metalHc-sounding 

 notes with more force to them than those of the Kingbird. Dming the mating 

 season they are especially noisy, and begin their love songs, if they may be 

 called such, at the earliest dawn, and keep up their concerts with but slight 

 intermission during the greater part of the day; but after they are mated and 

 nidification commences they are more quiet. 



Mr. R. H. Lawrence writes me from Monrovia, California, that the Arkansas 

 Flycatcher also utters very peculiar notes at times during the night. He says: 

 "On the night of July 30, 1893, I frequently heard a queer cry; sometimes 

 only a single note, and again this was repeated three or four times, followed by 

 a crying or wailing sound, as if made by a very young kitten. I heard these 

 notes on successive nights. On August 2, about 4.30 a. m., I succeeded in shoot- 

 ing the performer out of a pepper tree standing close to the house, and it proved 

 to be an Arkansas Flycatcher." 



The males precede their mates a few days in the migration, and as soon as 

 the latter arrive constant quarrels between rivals for' the favors of the coveted 

 female ensue. , Frequently half a dozen of these birds may be seen chasing each 

 other about, pecking at . and tumbling over each other in mid-air, keeping up 

 an incessant chatter and scolding in the meantime ; but very rarely have I seen 

 feathers fly during these ostensible combats, and I am inclined to think that the 

 majority of such performances are indulged in more in fun than in anger. 

 They are undoubtedly more social than the common Kingbird, as I have seen 

 two pairs nesting in the same' tree, apparently living in perfect harmony with 

 each other. While they are by no means devoid of courage, they appear to me 

 to be much less quarrelsome on the whole than the former, and they are far more 

 tolerant toward some of the larger Raptores. For instance, in the vicinity of 

 Camp Harney, Oregon, I found a pair of these birds nesting in the same ti'ee (a 

 medium-sized pine) with Bullock's Oriole and Swainson's Hawk, and, as far as I 

 could see, all were on excellent terms. 



Their food consists of animal matter, principally grasshoppers where these 

 are abundant, as well as of moths, butterflies, different species of flies, winged 

 ants, caterpillars, and the large black crickets of the West. Most of their prey 

 is caught on the wing, and they rarely fail in capturing it. They are extremely 

 dexterous, and tlieia- flight is powerful and swift. During the summer they feed 

 occasionally on wild bennes, and among these the service berry seems to be 

 more often eaten than any other. Like our common Kingbird, they are often 

 credited with feeding to a considerable extent on bees, and are therefore in bad 

 repute with bee keepers. This accusation, like many others made about some 

 of our most useful and beneficial birds, seems to be entirely unfounded. 



