158 NOTES ON THE NESTIMG OF THE LEAST FLYCATCHER. 



last seemed to be a signal for the end, for as soon as the tail had shrunk to 

 within a quarter of an inch of the body, in spite of all care and precaution, 

 the little frogs were found every morning floating on the surface, dead. 

 Thinking the bull frogs, who had gone through all the changes successfully, 

 to be the cause, I removed them, but it had no effect. 



At last all were gone but two, and when I looked in the morning, one 

 of them was floating, nearly dead, on the surface. In despair, I placed him 

 on the bit of wood that the bull frogs had used to climb upon and left him 

 to die. Returning in a little while to take him away, I found a very lively 

 young frog and then the truth dawned upon me. The lungs of the wood 

 frog must develop much sooner than those of the bull frogs, and therefore, 

 though their bodies were not completely changed, they had needed air and 

 had actually been drowned. They had not tried at all to make use of the 

 floating stick, perhaps were not strong enough. 



Everything was easy now. I placed the remaining two in a jar with 

 just enough water to keep their skins moist, and they changed rapidly to 

 little Maryland yellow-throats about as large as one's thumb nail. They 

 seemed to have no. fear, and would sit on my hand or take their exercise in 

 long leaps over the table. 



However, since catching flies and dainty tid bits is not very satisfactory, 

 I decided as a means for their own preservation, that my little friends must 

 become self-supporting and learn the joys of freedom and the woods. 



NOTES ON THE NESTING OF THE LEAST FLYCATCHER. 



BY 



John K. Savelle. 



(Read before the Maynard Chapter of the Newton Natural History Society, 



June 30, 1899.) 



On June 3, I found a least flycatcher's nest. It was about fifteen feet 

 from the ground on a .horizontal branch of an apple tree. The nest was made 

 of dried grass, bark, cloth, and a little hair, and contained one egg. The 

 second egg was laid on June 4, the third on June 5, and the fourth and 

 last on June 6. 



The eggs are small and creamy white in color. During the four days 

 that the female laid her eggs she sat on the nest all the time. The result 

 was that the eggs hatched out one by one. Through the twelve days of her 



