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The Breeding Habits of Empidonax virescens in Connecticut. — On 
June 2, 1906, I was out collecting, in Stamford, Conn., with Mr. W. H. 
Hoyt. We were searching for a Hooded Warbler’s nest in a dense laurel 
brake on the bank of a stream, when Mr. Hoyt found a nest of the Green- 
crested Flycatcher. The nest was compactly built, resembling a rather 
shallow nest of the Red-eyed Vireo, and was suspended from a fork at the 
end of a bush sapling about eight feet from the ground. The nest con- 
tained three fresh eggs. Both birds were shot, and upon dissection it 
was evident that the set was complete. 
We proceeded about a mile up the river and there found an apparently 
well established colony of the birds. We first found a nest at the end of a 
limb of a large hemlock tree. The nest was about eight feet from the 
ground and was composed of shreds of inner hemlock bark. The cup was 
very shallow, and while the mass was packed into a fairly solid nest, a 
considerable number of shreds hung down in festoons from the nest for 
eight or ten inches. The three eggs were slightly incubated, and the 
female was so bold in their defence, darting at us and striking our hands 
when we touched the nest, that we were finally obliged to kill her with a 
stick before we could take the eggs. 
Within 200 yards of this nest, we saw two other pairs of these birds, 
evidently breeding, although we were unable to find the nests. We 
found, however, six old nests, of which two were in hemlocks and four 
in bushes. The nests are so characteristic in situation and structure that 
I think there can be little doubt that these old nests were also those of 
Empidonax virescens. The nests are so frail that I do not believe they 
could hold together more than two years, which would seem to imply that 
three or four pairs have bred in this colony for several years. 
On June 7, 1906, I returned to make another search for the nests. I 
clearly located three pairs of the birds and finally found one nest. It 
was composed of dead grass and was so roughly thrown together, with 
the strings and ends hanging down so loosely, that I should never have 
guessed it was a new nest had I not seen the bird fly to it. It also con- 
tained three eggs, and the bird was quite wild and shy. The nest was, as 
usual, in a fork at the end of a beech limb, about nine feet from the ground. 
There are two unreported records by local collectors of Empidonax: 
virescens breeding in Stamford (one by Mr. W. H. Hoyt, and one by Mr. 
G. Rowell), but they were made a number of years ago, and were merely 
rare and irregular finds. These records apparently show that the bird 
breeds regularly in Stamford, and is probably very much commoner with 
us than has been hithertQ suppqsed.-Jjoyis N. Porter, Stamford, Conn. 
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