176 
CONTOPUS BOREALIS. 
The Gray King Birds appear to prefer the outer, or higher, keys and visit them in 
great numbers, especially during the spring migration. In order to give some idea of the 
homes of these birds, I will describe Bamboo Key where I found them particularly common. 
This little island which contains nearly two acres of land, lies about midway between Key 
West and Cape Florida. It is one of a line of outer keys which have an old coral reef for 
a foundation and, as the present reef which extends parallel with the keys but which lies five 
miles at sea, is clearly visible, this is used as a wrecking station and has a lookout erect¬ 
ed upon it. There were two families living there but, with the characteristic improv¬ 
idence of the poorer class in Florida, they did not attempt to cultivate the soil, choosing 
rather to depend upon a precarious livelihood gained by wrecking. Thus the vegetation 
of the place was, in a great degree, in a primitive condition. Nearly the whole key was 
surrounded by a belt of mangroves but these grew on very low ground over which the tide 
rose every day; higher, on the dry land, were bushes among which two or three species of 
cacti grew in profusion and, as the whole was overgrown by a tangled mass of vines, it 
formed an impenetrable thicket. The wreckers had formed a small clearing in the midst of 
this jungle and erected two or three wretched houses. 
I landed on the first of May and remained there several days during which time I 
saw hundreds of Gray King Birds. They appeared to be migrating, for numbers were con¬ 
stantly arriving from sea-ward, yet, unlike many other species, they invariably came in 
pairs and were evidently mated as they were constantly pursuing each other through the 
air in a playful manner, at the same time vociferating loudly. They exhibit a decided 
preference for mangroves and later, by the middle of the month, build their nests in them, 
usually selecting bushes which overhang the water. These birds inhabit all of the higher 
keys from Key West to Cape Florida. They also occur on the West Coast in suitable 
localities but I do not think that they are as abundant on the East side of the peninsula. 
They must migrate early, as I never found them in autumn. 
GENUS m. CONTOPUS. THE PEWEES. 
Gen. Ch. Bill, shorter than the head which is crested but without the central coronel patch. Outer quills, slightly in¬ 
cised. Tail, square and emarginate. Upper outline of manubrium, viewed from the side, rounded gradually doivnward. 
Height of keel, a little less than one half the length of the coracoids. Broncho-trachcalis, slightly developed. Bronchialis, 
quite large. 
The colors are dull, relieved only by restricted white markings below. There is a silky patch of elongated, white feath¬ 
ers growing from the sides of the upper rump. The under mandible of the adult is yellow, veined with red in life. 
CONTOPUS BOREALIS. 
Olive-sided Flycatcher. 
Contopus Borealis Baird, Birds N. A.; 1858, 188. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. • Form, robust. Size, large. Sternum, stout. Tongue, triangular in form, thin, horny, bifid, provided with 
coarse cilia which extend along the sides. Stomach, somewhat muscular. Wings, long and pointed. Feathers of semi¬ 
crest, rounded. 
Color. Adult. Above, including wings, tail, and upper tail coverts, dark sooty-brown overwashed with plumbeous on 
all portions excepting top of the head. Edges of secondaries, tertiaries, and tips of two rows of wing coverts, forming indis¬ 
tinct bars, white. Beneath, including under tail coverts, yellowish-white. Narrow band across breast, sides, flanks, and 
