THE BLUE-GREY FLYCATCHER. 245 



greater number proceed far eastward, and spread over the United States, al- 

 though they are not common in any part. 



The Blue-grey Flycatcher arrives in the neighbourhood of New Orleans 

 about the middle of March, when it is observed along the water-courses, flit- 

 ting about and searching diligently, amidst the branches of the Golden Wil- 

 low, for the smaller kinds of winged insects, devouring amongst others great 

 numbers of moschettoes. Its flight resembles that of the Long-tailed Tit- 

 mouse of Europe. It moves to short distances, vibrating its tail while on 

 wing, and, on alighting, is frequently seen hanging to the buds and bunches 

 of leaves, at the extremities of the branches of trees. It seldom visits the 

 interior of the forests, in any portion of our country, but prefers the skirts of 

 woods along damp or swampy places, and the borders of creeks, pools, or 

 rivers. It seizes insects on wing with great agility, snapping its bill like a 

 true Flycatcher, now and then making little sallies after a group of those di- 

 minutive flies that seem as if dancing in the air, and cross each other in their 

 lines of flight, in a thousand various ways. 



When it has alighted, its tail is constantly erected, its wings droop, and it 

 utters at intervals its low and uninteresting notes, which resemble the sounds 

 tsee, tsee. It seldom if ever alights on the ground, and when thirsty prefers 

 procuring water from the extremities of branches, or sips the rain or dew- 

 drops from the ends of the leaves. 



Its nest is composed of the frailest materials, and is light and small in pro- 

 portion to the size of the bird. It is formed of portions of dried leaves, the 

 husks of buds, the silky fibres of various plants and flowers, and light grey 

 lichens, and is lined with fibres of Spanish moss or horsehair. I have found 

 these nests always attached to two slender twigs of willow. The eggs are 

 four or five, pure white, with a few reddish dots at the larger end. Two 

 broods are reared in a season. The young and old hunt and migrate to- 

 gether, passing amongst the tops of the highest trees, from one to another. 

 They leave the state of Louisiana in the beginning of October, the Middle 

 States about the middle of September. I have seen some of these birds on 

 the border line of Upper Canada, along the shores of Lake Erie. I have also 

 observed them in Kentucky, Indiana, and along the Arkansas River. 



In the plate is represented, along with a pair of these delicate birds, a twig 

 of one of our most valuable trees, with its pendulous blossoms. This tree, 

 the black walnut, grows in almost every part of the United States, in the 

 richest soils, and attains a great height and diameter. The wood is used for 

 furniture of all sorts, receives a fine polish, and is extremely durable. The 

 stocks of muskets are generally made of it. The black walnut is plentiful in 

 all the alluvial grounds in the vicinity of our rivers. The fruit is contained 

 in a very hard shell, and is thought good by many people. 



Vol. I. 37 



