Page:Condor3(2).djvu/2

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3 THE CONDOR [ Vol. IV conspicuous on account of its bright color and lively, noisy ways. He is never found in the woods but is very abundant on the coffee fincas and pastures, where he sits on some prominent tree ever and anon diving off after a gnat. His cry, which sounds like cha-lee-a, with the accent on the middle syllable, (his Mexican name by the way), repeated rapidly several times, can be heard from morning till night all the year round. He has an- other little note, "weet", which is uttered or three hundred yards would come to swell the tumult, while at other times the female would leave the nest silently on my approach and not a sign of a flycatcher could be detected while tak- ing the nest. The nest is a bulky affair measuring on an average nine inches in length, five in height and five inches wide. be- ing well roofed with the opening toward one end, fronting down. This is shown in the accompanying plate. The nest is composed of dry grass, shreds of plan- Photo by C. l?arlo*e. NEST AND EGGS OF GIRAUD'S FLCATCFIER (A/ffiozetetes /evensis). (The opening ot the roofed nest at one end, lYonting down, is shown). while he is perched, watching for flies. These flycatchers are agressive little fellows. I have seen them chasing turkey buzzards and sparrowhawks which happened to come their way. Sometimes when I have been taking their nests they would make the most terrible disturbance, flying at me and making a great racket. Not only the outraged pair, but as many as eight birds that were within a radius of two tain and banana leaves, with cottony material interwoven. Giraud's Flycatcher is not particular in selecting a nesting site, almost any place from which a good view can be obtained, suiting him. I have found nests ranging from four feet to thirty feet in height, in low bushy trees almost but not quite hidden as the birds build on the outside or top of a tree, and in almost bare trees in high and conspicu-