290 
PASSERIFORMES 
the growth of tree plantations. It is notable that nearly every station 
along the Canadian Pacific Railway where trees have been successfully 
planted has a pair of Arkansas Kingbirds in possession, and it seems almost 
to prefer the hubbub of such localities to quieter retreats. 
443. Seissor-tailed Flycatcher, le moucherolle a queue en ciseaux (1’Oiseau 
papillon). Muscirora forjicata. L, 13 (about). (Tail, 9.) This flycatcher is an occasional 
wanderer from subtropical America within the borders of Canada. It is unmistakable — a 
light, ash-coloured bird about the size of a kingbird with darker wings, scarlet or orange 
cap, and the same colour under the wings, with a great tail 8 to 9 inches long, split to a 
depth of 6 inches or more, which, when the bird is at rest, opens and closes like a pair of 
scissors. Strangely enough two of our best authenticated records come from York Factory 
on Hudson Bay taken forty years apart, and the species has been seen in southern Manitoba. 
\\ ith this record before us, it is difficult to state positively what bird may or may not be 
found anywhere in Canada. 
452. Crested Flycatcher, great crested flycatcher, le moucherolle huppe. 
Myiarchus crinitus. L, 9 00. About the size of the Eastern Kingbird, but lighter in 
build. Even olive-brown above, turning to rufous on the inner webs of the tail. Throat 
and upper breast ash-grey. Underparts sulphur-yellow. 
Distinctions. Likely to be confused only with the Arkansas Kingbird; like it in 
general coloration, but back to crown uniformly brown, and no orange crown-spot. Tail, 
browner than baek and with inner webs strongly rufous. 
Field Marks. A large, yellow-bellied flycatcher, inhabiting the upper branches in 
the woods. Unlike either of the kingbirds in habitat, action, or voice. Its loud, long- 
drawn cry “ Wheeeep ” and lower “Whip- whip-whip” are very characteristic, although some- 
thing similar to some of the notes of the Olive-sided Flycatcher, which is a very different 
appearing and acting bird. The Crested rarely poses for long on isolated branch tips or 
dead tree tops, and is more often seen passing from branch to branch amidst the foliage, 
or from tree to tree. 
Nesting. In holes abandoned by woodpeckers or in hollow trees and branches. It 
takes kindly to bird boxes in the garden. The bird shows a remarkable fondness for utiliz- 
ing cast snake skins in nest building. Scarcely a nest of the species but contains one or 
more. 
Distribution. Eastern North America. In Canada, including the wooded and bluffy 
parts of southern Manitoba. 
A flycatcher of the woodland tree tops. Its loud insistent voice is 
constantly heard in the summer, but rarely at any distance from dense 
forest. 
Economic Status. Beetles, locusts, ants, crickets, flies, and moths 
constitute the bulk of its food. It takes more parasitic wasps and beetles 
than most birds, but not enough to counterbalance the pests it destroys. 
456. Eastern Phoebe, bridge pewee. le moucherolle des ponts. Sayornis 
phoebe. L, 6-99. Plate XLIII A. One of the larger of the little green flycatchers, and 
much smaller than any of the preceding. All above, uniform, dull olive; dull white below, 
without any distinctive colour marks. 
Distinctions. The small, greenish flycatchers are perhaps the most difficult of Amer- 
ican birds to separate. Fortunately, each has a typical habitat and a characteristic note, 
which are both good guides to differentiation in the field. The Phoebe is, next to the Olive- 
sided, the largest of these small, dull-coloured flycatchers, and the most easily recognized. 
It is most likely to be confused with the two Wood Pewees, but its legs and feet are larger 
and stouter. 
Field Marks. The head of the Phoebe is generally a little darker, and in stronger 
contrast with the body, than in other flycatchers. The sidewise sweep of tail and unbarrred 
wings are characteristic. The note, however, a quickly uttered “Phoe-be” with strong 
accent on the first syllable, is the best field mark. The Wood Pewee’s note is long-drawn 
out and that of the Least is short and explosive. The habitat, about bridges and culverts, 
or in the vicinity of barns and buildings, is very suggestive of identify. 
