3 T- 



The Hawk eye Ornithologist and Oologist 



part of June, but its efforts at repro- 

 duction appear to cease after the 

 month of July, and it becomes silent 

 as August advances. 



On the 19th of July, 1883, my boys 

 reported to me they had found the 

 nest o( a new kind of bird in a piece 

 of low woods on the farm opposite 

 Wildwood. They stated that the 

 bird was nearly as large as a hermit 

 thrush, but more like a flycatcher; 

 that the nest — placed in a low blue 

 beech — was like an indigo bird's, but 

 that the three eggs which it contain- 

 ed, were like those of a vireo. Eager 

 to ascertain what this new discovery 

 might be. 1 returned with the boys 

 to the nesting place, and though the 

 owner was absent, 1 saw at a glance 

 that it was a discovery new to mc. 

 The nest was placed in the fork of a 

 small blue beech, three feet oil the 

 ground, well coneea 'ed among the 

 leaves and surrounding raspberry 

 vines. It was composed externally 

 of wool and coarse grasses; and lined 

 with line dry grass and some horse- 

 hair. The three eggs were of a 

 whitish-yellow hue, whli a few red- 

 ish dots toward the large end. Now, 

 anxious to see the owner of this nest. 

 I took a ramble thiough the wood, 

 where I heard and saw the male bird, 

 and when I returned the female 

 flushed off the nest and darted into 

 the neighboring thicket, and for 

 some time I supposed This species to 

 be the olive sided flycatcher, but 

 learning my mistake, I became cer- 

 tain that it was the Trailli, and have 

 since been confirmed in this identifi- 

 cation The next summer, about the 

 20th day of June, within a few yards 

 of the above mentioned place, I 

 found in the forks of a small swamp 

 elm, about four feet off the ground, 

 another nest of the same species; 

 much the same in composition, and 

 containing three fresh eggs, similar 

 in hue and markings. And on the 



same day, a few rods further in the 

 wood, another nest of this species, 

 containing three young a few days 

 old. This nest, however, was in the 

 forks of a red-maple sapling about 

 nine feet off the ground, and some of 

 the coarse grass stalks of which it 

 was composed hung down nearly a 

 foot from the bottom of the nest. 

 Last season I failed to discover any 

 nests of this species, though I found 

 the birds in several other places. 



THE LEAST FLYCATCHER. 



(Empidonax minimus. ) 



This species, in general appear- 

 ance and place of habitat, much re- 

 sembles the wood pewee, but it is 

 Miialler in size, and its mode of nest- 

 ing is quite different. 



Its scolding notes are the repetition 

 of a simple "chip"; but these are sel- 

 dom heard except when its nest or 

 young are approached. Its song, if 

 such it may be called, resembles the 

 word "chebeck" repeated in a clear 

 tone, may often be heard, especially 

 for some weeks after its arrival 



Its advent here usually occurs in 

 the latter part of May; and it leaves 

 Canada for more southern latitudes 

 in the early part of September. 



Its usual habitat is the high, roll- 

 ing, hard-wood timbered lands; and 

 for the hilly margins of gravel-bot- 

 tomed creeks, it seems to have a de- 

 cided partiality. 



In the dry season it feeds occasion- 

 all}' on small fish, which it easily cap- 

 tures, as they wriggle in the shallow 

 water, though in general it feeds on 

 small insects and their progeny in 

 various stages of development. 



This little creature is quite pugil- 

 istic, and in the pairing season two 

 males often indulge in a free and 

 tierce fight, which probably influ- 

 ences the female in her decision of 

 accepting the victor as her future 

 partner. 



