THE RED-EYED FLYCATCHER. 
147 
great size, are very conspicuous, as the wind sways them back- 
wards and forwards from the bough. 
Before leaving the American pensile birds, we must briefly 
notice one or two other species. The Flycatchers of all coun- 
tries are generally notable for the beauty or eccentricity of their 
nests, one of the oddest being that of the Great Crested 
Flycatcher of America, which always uses the cast slough of 
snakes when building its nest. The reason no one seems to 
know, though several opinions have been offered ; one person 
thinking the snake-slough is peculiarly grateful to the young 
birds which are intended to lie upon it ; and another, that the 
presence of the cast slough acts as a scarecrow, and frightens 
away obnoxious birds. One conjecture is as good as another, 
and both are absurdly bad. 
The species which we have now to notice is the Red-Eyed 
Flycatcher ( Muscicapa olivacea ) popularly known as ‘ Whip- 
Tom-Kelly, ^ 9 from its peculiar articulate cry, which is said to 
bear a strangely exact reseniblance to the words 4 Tom Kelly, 
Whip-tom-kel-ly,’ and is uttered so loudly and briskly, that it 
can be heard at a considerable distance. It inhabits a tolerably 
wide range of country, being found from Georgia to the St. 
Lawrence, and in many parts is plentiful. 
The nest of the Red-Eyed Flycatcher is small and very neatly 
made, and, contrary to the usual custom of pensile nests, is 
placed near the ground, seldom at a height of more than five 
feet. Bushes and dwarf trees, such as dogwood or saplings, are 
usually chosen by the bird when it looks about for a branch 
wherefrom to hang its nest. A wonderful array of materials is 
employed by the feathered architect, which makes use of bits 
of hornets’ nests, dried leaves, flax-fibres, strips of vine bark, 
fragments of paper and hair, and binds all these articles firmly 
together with the silk produced by some caterpillars. The 
lining is made of fine grasses, hair, and the delicate bark of the 
vine. 
The nest is wonderfully strong, so compact indeed, that after 
it has served the purpose of its architect, it is usurped by other 
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