Phoebe. Water Pewee 



the air, snaps his bill loudly over an unsuspecting insect 

 he has been lying in wait for, and, before you breathe, 

 settles back on the branch with a spasmodic jerk of the 

 tail. 



Florence A. Merriam. Birds Through an Opera Glass.^ 



The note is a somewhat harsh and querulous one, re- 

 sembling the word phoebe. The first syllable is smooth, 

 the second rough and broken. 



M. A. WiLLCOX. The Common Land Birds of New England. ''^^ 



In Florida the phoebe is said to hght on the backs of 

 cattle, taking a ride with the laudable excuse of catching 

 flies. 



Florence A. Merriam. Birds of Village and Field. -^ 



When not domesticated, as these birds are rapidly 

 becoming, the phoebes dearly love a cool, wet woodland 

 retreat. Here they hunt and bathe; here they also build 

 in a rocky bank or ledge of rocks, or underneath a bridge, 

 but always with clever adaptation of their nest to its 

 surroundings, out of which it seems a natural growth. 

 It is one of the most finished, beautiful nests ever found, 

 A pair of phoebes become attached to a spot where they 

 have once nested; they never stray far from it, and return 

 to it regularly (they are mated for life), though they do 

 not again occupy the old nest. 



Neltje Blanchan. Bird Neighbors. ^^ 

 111 



