HUMMINGBIRD— FINCHES-PL YCATCHERS-OHIOLE 



147 



it at Fort Whipple, in Arizona. Its habits are similar to its east- 

 ern relative. 



Broad-tailed Hummingbird. {Selasphorus platycercus.) 

 Fig. 6. 



Mr. Allen writes : " The Broad-tailed Hummer was common 

 from Cheyenne southward along the base of the mountains to Col- 

 orado City, and throughout the mountains was everywhere abun- 

 dant, even to above the timber-line. Its flight is exceedingly swift, 

 and characterized by a sharp, whistling sound ; but in all other 

 respects it might be readily mistaken for the common Ruby-throat 

 of the East. Its nest was not discovered, but hardly a day passed 

 without a considerable number of the birds being observed, often 

 several individuals being in sight at once. The great abundance 

 of flowers throughout the mountain valleys, and which here and 

 there also nearly cover the ground, even far above the limit of 

 trees on the Snow}' Range, renders this mountain region highly 

 favorable to the existence of this interesting species, and offers a 

 ready explanation of its abundant occurrence here." 



Mr. Holden, who noticed this species in the Black Hills, says: 

 44 These little birds were quite common. On one occasion, while 

 skinning a Hawk, I threw a piece of flesh into a small dead tree 

 near me. In an instant three of the birds were poised before the 

 meat, mistaking it, no doubt, for some gaudy flower. But one 

 nest was found. It contained two young ones about a week old. 

 I was struck by the wisdom displayed by the birds in placing their 

 nest. A small tree had fallen over the brook, which was here eight 

 feet wide. The nest was placed on one of the under branches in 

 such a way that the trunk of the tree would effectually keep out 

 the rain. The nest was lined with a species of cotton obtained in 

 the vicinity." 



Rufous-crowned Finch, or Sparrow. Red-capped Finch. Boucard's 

 Finch. {Peuccea rujiceps.) 



Fig. 7. 



The coast of California and south to Mexico is the place of res- 

 idence of this species. It was first obtained by Dr. Heerman, in 

 California. He states that in the fall of 185 1, he shot, on the Co- 

 sumnes river, a single specimen of this bird from among a large 

 flock of Sparrows of various kinds. In the spring of the follow- 

 ing year, among the mountains, near the Calaveras river, he 

 found it quite abundant. It was then flying in pairs, engaged in 

 picking grass-seed from the ground, and, when started, it never 

 extended its flight beyond a few yards. Its notes, in their charac- 

 ter, reminded him ot the ditty of our common little Chipping Spar- 

 row {Spizella socialis). He obtained several specimens. Its 

 flight seemed feeble, and when raised from the ground, from which 

 it would not start until almost trodden on, it would fly but a short 

 distance, and almost immediately drop again into the grass. 



Hammond's Flycatcher. {Empidonax hammondii.) 

 Fig. 8. 



This species is met with in the western province of the United 

 SLates, south to Mexico. It was first discovered by Mr. Xantus, 

 in California, in 1858. 



Dr. Cooper says, the first of this species arrives at Santa Cruz, 

 March 13, and they were numerous during the summer, disappear- 

 ing in September. They kept in low trees, and uttered a few faint 

 notes. April 27, he found the first nest. It was built on the hori- 



zontal branch of a negundo tree, about eighteen feet from the 

 ground. He found four others afterward, from four to ten fef*t 

 high, either on horizontal branches or on forks of small trees. 



Wright's Flycatcher. Grayish Flycatcher. {Empidonax obscurus.) 



Fig. 9. 



About the first of April this species arrives from Mexico, and 

 remains until October. It is met with from the Rocky Mountains 

 to the Pacific, north to Colorado, south through Mexico. Accord- 

 ing to Mr. Allen : 



44 The Gray Flycatcher was the commonest and almost the only 

 species of Empidonax met with in the mountains of Colorado. It 

 was generally observed in rather wet, swampy localities, dense 

 willow thickets seeming to form its favorite resorts. It is very re- 

 tiring in its habits, keeping almost constantly concealed in thick 

 copses, where it silently hunts its insect prey, and is hence a diffi- 

 cult species to collect. Though it may be approached within a few 

 yards, it eludes capture by keeping in the middle of the close wil- 

 low clumps, exposing itself to view only when obliged to fly across 

 an open space, taking its departure from the side furthest from the 

 observer, and flying low and hurriedly to the nearest point of con- 

 cealment. The several nests found contained young, and were 

 always placed some distance within the thick copse the birds had 

 chosen for their home. The nests were usually built in the forks 

 of small branches, and in thickness and general appearance 

 greatly resembled the ordinary nests of the summer Yellow-bird 

 {Dendraca cestiva). 



Bell's Finch, or Sparrow. {Poospiza belli.') 



Fig. 10. 



The extensive thickets, called chaparral, says Dr. Cooper, 

 which cover barren, dry tracts for miles, in all the southern half 

 of California, are the favorite resorts of this little bird. There 

 they pick up a living from small seeds, and probably insects, be- 

 ing apparently quite indifferent as to water, or depending on that 

 dropping from the foliage after dews and fogs. They may be seen 

 running rapidly, or rather hopping along the ground, with tail car- 

 ried perfectly erect, and at the least alarm seeking the friendly 

 thicket. They reside all the year in the same localities, and are 

 numerous on the island of San Nicolas, eighty miles from the 

 mainland, though I saw none on the other islands, except one on 

 Santa Barbara. 



In spring the males sing a low, monotonous ditty from the top 

 of a favorite shrub, answering each other from long distances. 

 Their nest, built about three feet from the ground, is composed of 

 grasses and slender weeds, lined with hair, etc. The eggs, about 

 four, are pale greenish, with reddish-brown dots thickly sprinkled 

 over. This species seems to be restricted to California, and val- 

 ley of Gila and Colorado, to Fort Horn. 



PLATE CI. 

 Texas Orchard Oriole. {Icterus spurius, var. affinis^) 



Fig. 1. 



This beautiful species is a small southern variety of our common 

 Orchard Oriole so often met with in parks, orchards, and near th* 

 outskirts of woods. See page 13. 



