It 
Their happy, chirpy notes, quick 
NITHOLOGIST 
[Yol. 7-No. 16 
■ ier, their 
s, were as 
lightened 
l here let 
age them- 
d gather- 
would be 
formation 
sing won- 
near our 
reach if we will but seek and gather, — Mrs. 
C. M. Crowell , Haywards , Cal. 
Traill’s Flycatcher. 
ITS NESTING HABITS IN OHIO. 
Traill’s Flycatcher, {Empidonax pusillus 
trailli), arrives in Ohio the last of April or 
the first of May, passing northward along 
the margin of the streams. So far as I 
have observed, it seems to be more shy and 
restless than others of the genus. Its 
presence is made known by its short and 
pevish notes, uttered at intervals as it flits 
from bush to bush or across a stream. 
About the latter part of May they re- 
tire to their favorite breeding resorts, 
which are always in low grounds^ and are 
especially fond of thick willows and alders 
along the banks of running streams. These 
localities seem to be characteristic of this 
species ; at least I have never found them 
elsewhere during the breeding season. In 
the vicinity of Columbus they are, appar- 
ently, a common Summer resident, breed- 
ing abundantly. The bird was not known 
to breed in Ohio until its nest was discov- 
ered by Dr. J. M. Wheaton, in June, 1874, 
in this vicinity. In 1879 I obtained four 
nests with eggs; in 1880, six nests with 
eggs ; in 1881, between May 28 and June 
17, I obtained eighteen nests containing 
eggs. The locality was in a thick growth 
of alders bordering a canal, three miles 
north of the city. None of these nests 
were placed higher than eight feet from 
the ground, and in most cases from two to 
four. In nearly all instances they were 
built in an upright fork, the small twigs 
that surrounded them were made available 
to secure them firmly in their place by 
being encircled with stringy fibres. 
Ten nests before me have a strong re- 
semblance to the usual structure of the 
Yellow Warbler, ( Dendroeca aestiva,) but 
probably lack in compactness and neatness. 
The external or greater portion of the nest 
is composed of hempen fibres, internally 
lined in true Flycatcher style with fine 
grasses. In some, however, there is a 
slight lining of horse-hair, and of the 
down from the milk-weed or thistles. A 
typical nest measures as follows : Height, 
two and a half inches ; diameter, three in- 
ches. The cavity is an inch and a half in 
diameter, and two inches in depth. In 
nearly all cases these nests contained but 
three eggs ; rarely four, and a great many 
in varying stages of incubation. A nest 
was often found with one fresh egg and 
two others partly incubated, showing that 
the eggs were, in some cases, laid on alter- 
nate days, and sometimes as late as a week 
after the first was deposited, as is often 
the case with our Cuckoos. The ground 
color of these eggs is extremely variable. 
In some it is of a cream color, in others 
approaching buff. In four sets before me 
there is a striking variation in the distribu- 
tion of the markings. They are usually 
marked chiefly at the larger end with large 
blotches of red and reddish-brown. This, 
however, is only characteristic in one of 
these sets, while in the others the markings 
are simply very small dots, sparingly 
sprinkled over the surface, and in some 
these dottings are scarcely visible, giving 
them the appearance of an almost unspot- 
ted surface. Six eggs measure respective- 
ly 72x55, 70X53, 70x52, 64x53, 69x52, 
70 X 53. There is scarcely any perceptible 
difference between the eggs of Trailli and 
those of Acadicus. The western eggs of 
Trailli probably have a darker ground, 
and the spots are more vivid, but I do not 
believe any one can tell them apart with 
certainty. — Oliver Davie , Columbus, Ohio. 
O.&O. VII. May. 15, 1882. p. ! 1Y. 
opus 
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