The Vermilion Flycatcher 
the shade-trees which hide some outlying ranch. It is demure, rather 
than excessively active, and waits patiently in exposed situations,—a 
fence-post, the tip of an upturned tree-root, or a barren branch, at any 
height, for the appearance of passing bug or fly, in order that it may 
sally forth and capture it midair, with a graceful snap and flutter. 
The female, likewise, in nesting chooses an exposed situation,— 
almost invariably a 
crotch of a horizontal 
limb of mesquite or wil¬ 
low, in order that it may 
have a commanding 
view of the passing show 
of insects. Incubation 
is as much a shielding of 
eggs from the too ardent 
sun as it is an encourage¬ 
ment of the life process; 
so the bird averages 
things up by absenting 
herself from the nest 
every few minutes. She 
secures her own food in 
large measure, but if her 
lord has a gracious offer¬ 
ing to make, she meets 
him midair, or at some 
appointed rendezvous, 
rather than to suffer his 
shining, tell-tale pres¬ 
ence about the home 
tree. In the cooler 
hours, which enforce a 
stricter attention to 
duty, the modest bride 
is entertained in becom¬ 
ing fashion. No spec¬ 
tacle could be more 
bewitching than that of 
the ecstasy song flight 
of the Vermilion Fly¬ 
catcher. In him the 
very pride and joy of 
Taken in Arizona 
Photo by the Author 
VERMILION FLYCATCHER, FEMALE, NEAR NEST 
THE BIRD IS THE ONE SHOWN IN PRECEDING ILLUSTRATION 
913 
