country cottage of a next door neighbor was occupied by a 
family of five baby flycatchers and their parents. © | 
The adult birds in this nest spent much time sitting on — 
a wire clothesline that was shaded by tall cedars, where they 
had a funny fashion of clicking their bills if anyone passed. 
They and the growing young seemed to get used to. the 
frequent trips made up the ladder to look into the nest; 
but the fear that usually takes possession of nestlings when 
about ready to leave the nest startled them at the sudden 
motion of a girl, who was watching them one day, and they 
fled in three direstions. In spite, or because, of anxious 
parents and neighbors, they were lost in the underbrush, 
just before a heavy rainstorm, for which ug youngsters 
were not well covered. 
At least one other flycatcher will attract all bird 
_ students in the summer season by his cries almost anywhere — 
in coniferous forests from southern Oregon to the northern 
boundary line. A boy returning from Alaska told about 
birds often seen there that sat on the tops of trees calling 
“Just three-days” and asked what they were. The Olive- 
sided Flycatcher says something that may be thus translated 
if he is near, but if he is half a mile away, the first syllable | 
is lost. 
His ringing shout once known may ke heard from the | 
suburbs of cities to near timber line on the mountain slopes. — 
Although every treetop within the vision of opera glasses 
may seem to be vacant, if you are persistent in following 
the sound, a medium-sized bird will be found decorating the 
very tip of the tallest fir or pine in his neighborhood. See | 
him constantly turn his head from one side to the other as _ 
he calls “Just watch me!” between flights into the dizzy — 
space after ambitious upper-air insects. How boldly he 
launches out and turns a somersault two hundred fifty feet 
above the ground, catching his prey midway, when he flies 
again to the top of his solitary throne, and you rejoice with 
him in the — places. Notice how he hunches up his 
47 
