148 BULLETIN 179, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



"At the season when the Pewee returns to Pennsylvania, I had the 

 satisfaction to observe those of the cave in and about it. There again, 

 in the very same nest, two broods were raised. I found several 

 Pewees' nests at some distance up the creek, particularly under a 

 bridge, and several others in the adjoining meadows, attached to the 

 inner part of sheds erected for the protection of hay and grain. 

 Having caught several of these birds on the nest, I had the pleasure 

 of finding that two of them had the little ring on the leg." 



The following two quotations illustrate the tameness of the phoebe, 

 or at least its disregard for the presence of people. By such behavior, 

 as well as by the choice of nesting sites, the bird shows an adaptabil- 

 ity to man-made changes in its environment. 



Clinton G. Abbott (1922) tells the story of a pair of phoebes that 

 had built their nest on the veranda of his summer home before he 

 and his family moved into it for the season on May 15. At this time 

 the nest contained five eggs. The female bird was alarmed at first, 

 but "within a week," he says, "she had succeeded in completely read- 

 justing herself to the new conditions. From her original shy and 

 timid self, she was metamorphosed into quite a different type of bird, 

 stolidly remaining seated upon her nest regardless of sudden noises 

 or the movements of people. * * * Persons — even whole tea 

 parties — were ignored, except that once or twice we thought we 

 detected a tone of annoyance in the Phoebe's voice upon finding a 

 favorite chair occupied!" 



The following remarkable incident is related by H. H. Brimley 

 (1934): 



On November 27 I was on a deer stand in Onslow County, N. C. The air was 

 rather warm for the time of year and mosquitoes were quite noticeably in 

 evidence, though not particularly aggressive. I was in a standing position 

 with my rifle under my arm, the barrel pointing downwrd, and I had my hands 

 clasped in front. A faint fluttering of wings caused me to look down, and 

 I saw a Phoebe (Sayortiis phoehe), a bird frequently known by us as Winter 

 Pewee, trying to alight on my rifle barrel. Failing to secure a firm grip on 

 the smooth surface of the metal, the bird slid down the barrel until the front 

 sight was reached, where it secured the grip desired, and there it perched. 



It showed no sign of fear or nervousness and in a few seconds flew up and 

 picked a mosquito off my hands, which were not more than a foot distant 

 from its perch. Then, it picked others off the front of my coat, off my sleeeves, 

 and several more off my hands, meanwhile perching indiscriminately on my 

 hands, sleeves, and gun barrel, though seeming to prefer the last. 



Finally, the Phoebe discovered that my face seemed to be attracting more 

 mosquitoes than any other part of my person so he transferred his attention 

 to that part of my anatomy, and found a new perching place on the top of 

 my hunting cap. 



In picking mosquitoes off my face, the sharp points of the bird's bill 

 were noticeably felt at every capture, and it was the irritation caused by a 

 succession of these pricks that finally caused me to dispense with its atten- 

 tions. * * * 



