BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA . 
191 
lish tint appear as if traced with a pen. The eggs measure about .86 
long by .65 wide. The nest of this bird is constructed of various mate¬ 
rials, such as feathers, hay, leaves, etc. Mr. Gentry some few years ago 
found a nest of this species, near Germantown, which was placed be¬ 
tween the bifurcated branch of an apple tree. “ It was composed almost 
entirely of feathers of our common Gallus, which w T ere held together by 
long grasses.” The note of this bird is a harsh squeak or kind of whis¬ 
tle, exceedingly unpleasant to the ear, and which can be heard to a con¬ 
siderable distance. The food of this species is mainly of an insectivo¬ 
rous nature ; in the late summer and autumn different kinds of berries 
are oftentimes fed upon. Some writers state that the Crested Flycatch¬ 
ers like the Kingbirds, are equally fond of honey-bees. Mr. Gentry says: 
“From the vast numbers of ground beetles, which have been noticed in 
the numerous stomachs which we have examined, it is obvious that the 
species leads almost wholly a terrestrial existence for a week or so after 
its arrival. As the season advances, and the higher types of insects 
swarm into existence, it becomes more exclusively arboreal and aerial, 
so to speak. We have watched these birds for hours, while perched upon 
a dead branch of a tree, in the active enjoyment of procuring a full meal. 
Their movements are perfectly ludicrous. There they sit, bobbing the 
head this way and then that way, now up and then down, ever on the 
alert for caitiffs, which form their appropriate diet. Hosts of lepidop- 
tera, both larvae and imagoes, are greedily devoured.” 
In the following table will be found the results of the few examina¬ 
tions which I have made of the Crested Flycatcher: 
No. 
Date. 
Locality. 
Food-Materia ls. 
1 
May 17. 1880. 
Chester county, Pa. 
Large flies. 
2 
May 17. 1880. 
Chester county, Pa. 
Beetles. 
3 
May 30. 1881. 
Chester county, Pa. 
Beetles and flies. 
4 
May 14, 1882. 
Chester county. Pa. 
Beetles and larvae. 
5 
June 8, 1883. 
New Castle Delaware. 
Larvae. 
6 
June 8, 1883. 
New Castle, Delaware. 
Butterflies. 
7 
June 8, 1883,. 
New Castle, Delaware. 
Beetles. 
8 
Sept. 12. 1883. 
Chester county, Pa. 
Berries and beetles. 
9 
Aug. 7, 1884. 
Chester county, Pa. 
Seeds and pulp of berries. 
Genus SAYORNIS Bonaparte. 
Sayornis phoebe (Lath.). 
Phoebe; Pewee. 
Description ( Plate 91). 
“Sides of breast and upper parts dull olive-brown, fading slightly toward the tail; 
top and sides of head dark-brown ; a few dull white feathers on the eyelids; lower 
parts dull yellowish-white, mixed -with brown on the chin, and in some individuals 
across the breast; quills brown, the outer primary, secondaries, and tertials edged 
with dull white ; in some individuals the greater coverts faintly edged with dull- 
white ; tail brown, outer edge of lateral feathers dull-white, outer edges of the rest 
