362 AXIMAL LIFE IN THE TO SEMITE 



Say Phoebe. Sayornis sayus (Bonaparte) 



Field characters. — But little larger than Junco or Linnet; tail long, as long as body. 

 Coloration ashy brown; tail blackish; belly pale cinnamon. Makes frequent changes of 

 position and flies out after passing insects. Voice: A plaintive, protracted pee-nr, the 

 two syllables being scarcely distinguishable. 



Occurrence. — Common winter visitant to open country in viciuity of Lagrange and 

 Snelling. Recorded also 10 miles east of Coulterville, March 20, 1916. Visits vicinity 

 of Mono Lake after the nesting season. Perches on rocks or fences, or on bare twigs 

 of low bushes. 



The Say Phoebe is a flycatcher of desert predilections, and hence not 

 likely to come to the attention of the average Yosemite visitor. In winter 

 it is found on the San Joaquin plains and about the rockj^ outcrops and 

 earth bluffs of the western foothills. From late June until September 

 or later, in the dispersal which follows the breeding' season, it invades the 

 territory about Mono Lake. Near Walker Lake on September 14, 1915, 

 6 of these birds were seen in a 3i/2-hour census. Each individual was 

 by itself, perched on some dead twig affording a good view over the general 

 level of the surrounding sagebrush, from which the bird could dart out 

 after passing insects. 



Black Phoebe. Sayornis nigricans (Swainson) 



Field characters. — -But slightly longer than English Sparrow (length 6^2 inches) ; 

 build slender; head with a low crest. Plumage solidly black-appearing except for white 

 of belly. Perches on boulders, posts, telephone wires, and buildings; frequently turns 

 head from side to side, and at intervals moves tail up and down. Voice: Usually a 

 one-syllabled call, shrill and rather plaintive, pser; also, as a ' song, ' a persistent repe- 

 tition of two pairs of similar notes, with alternate rising and falling inflection. 



Occurrence. — Resident in Upper and Lower Sonoran zones, barely entering the 

 lower part of the Transition, as at Smith Creek (Dudley's ranch); an occasional indi- 

 vidual reaches the floor of Yosemite Valley. Lives along streams and about unpainted 

 buildings. 



The black garb and typical flycatcher habits of the Black Phoebe 

 combine to make it one of the easiest of birds to identify ; moreover, its 

 preference for open situations along streams and about buildings brings 

 it to the attention of even casual observers within the stretch of country 

 which it inhabits. 



Like most flycatchers this species is solitary and the individual birds, 

 even of a mated pair, are usually widely separated. The Black Phoebes 

 are most frequently seen along rock-bordered streams, like the lower 

 Merced River. From the windows of the train as it traverses the Merced 

 Caiion, birds of this species may often be observed perched low on boulders 



