PHCEBE. 
pleasing song, which I have heard only in the very early 
morning.” But my own experience is contrary to that. 
I have never heard such a song, but rather have noticed 
that the birds were particularly aggressive and saucy in 
the morning, as though they had waked up in a bad 
humor and wanted to rout everyone else out. The notes 
about six A.M. may be rightly interpreted thus: Wake- 
up, wake-up, lazy, cur, cur-r-r-r, cur-r-r-r! 
The Kingbird catches his food on the wing. Watch 
him carefully as he sits on his commanding perch and 
you will see he takes short excursions in mid-air after 
some insect which has ventured too near. Notice him 
again if a Hawk should pass a hundred feet overhead, 
and you will see him dart upward after the eneiny, dash 
recklessly at him with threatening bill, and in other 
ways make the big bird’s life burdensome as he flies for 
a distance of half a mile more or less. 
Phebe Phoebe is one of those peaceful, confid- 
Sayornis ing characters, which appropriates one 
hoebe 
i 6.90inches COrner of the roof of the wash-shed or the 
April ist side porch without so much as saying ‘‘ by 
your leave.” The consequences are not such as a 
good housekeeper would approve; for Phoebe transports 
a considerable amount of mud from the borders of 
the neighboring stream with which to build her nest, 
and then after it is built she fails to keep it clean; 
it usually swarms with innumerable parasites. Both 
male and female birds are marked alike. Upper parts 
sooty brown with a greenish cast; crown dark or sepia 
brown; wings and tail also distinctly darker; outer half 
of outer tail feather dull white; under parts dull white 
with a yellowish tone; bill black. Nest, mostly a com- 
position of mosses and mud, lined with grass and long 
hairs, bulky, and lodged at some roof or bridge (under- 
neath) corner on a rafter. Egg white, sometimes with 
a few cinnamon brown specks. The bird is common 
throughout eastern North America, from Newfoundland 
southward. 
Pheebe sits on the piazza rail or the rustic gate and con- 
tentedly sings his monotonous refrain, Phoebe ve-bliebt ! 
37 
