150 
over the water abounds in insect food. In many parts of the country 
scarcely a bridge but has its pair of Phoebes in the summer. However, 
the mud nests are not restricted to bridges but are plastered on the slightest 
projection under the eaves of an outbuilding or even under the family 
porch. It is a friendly, familiar bird and comes close to man wherever it 
finds a welcome. Unfortunately its great nests are occasionally the dwelling 
place of innumerable parasites, in other words bird-lice. The usual course 
when they appear is to knock the nest.down with a stick and apply boiling 
water. The application of common insect powder to the nest is better. 
This will kill the parasites and help to retain about the house this easily 
domesticated and attractive bird. 
459. Olive-sided Flycatcher. FR.—LE MOUCHEROLLE AUX COTES OLIVE. Nut- 
tallornis borealis. LL, 7-39. Much like a large Phoebe, but with less olive and with exten- 
sive masses of dark colour on either side of the chest. 
Distinctions. In the hand the conspicuous dark patches at the sides of the chest, 
and the dark under-tail coverts with light tips will separate this species from the Phoebe 
which it resembles. At the sides of the back, usually concealed under the closed wings, 
though occasionally displayed over them, are patches of fine silk-like plumage of pure 
white or cream colour. These will distinguish the Olive-sided from any other species. 
Field Marks. In life the Olive-sided looks more like a dark breasted Kingbird than 
a Phoebe or other Flycatcher. The dark chest areas separated by a line of white, however, 
distinguish them with comparative ease. When the white silky feathers show over the 
wings at the sides of the lower back, as sometimes occurs, the species cannot be mis- 
identified. The call notes are somewhat similar in tone and execution to those of the 
Crested Flycatcher, but a little attention and experience will enable the hearer to dis- 
tinguish between the two. 
Distribution. North America. Breeds in Canada from the tree limits to the bound- 
aries of regular cultivation. 
This is typically a bird of the burnt ridges of the north. Its favourite 
perch is the top of a tall lone stub in the open, from which its loud, pene- 
trating voice is heard far and wide. In migration it is rather scarce and 
local in distribution and though great numbers pass through the populous 
southern counties it is usually regarded as a scarce migrant. 
Economic Status. It is too rare in settled districts to have great 
economic value, but it is distinctly beneficial. 
461. Wood Pewee. FR.—LE MOUCHEROLLE VERDATRE. Myiochanes virens. L, 6-53. 
Very similar in coloration to the Phoebe but smaller. 
Distinctions. The Wood Pewee can be separated from the Phoebe and other Fly- 
catchers of comparable size by its short tarsus and long wings, these being decidedly 
longer than the tail. 
Field Marks. The Pewee never flirts its tail as does the Phoebe. The sides of the 
breast are also slightly darker, giving a better defined and narrower light median line. 
Its best identification mark, however, is its call-note which is much like that of the Phoebe 
but drawn out into a long pee-e-weee without appreciable accent but with a rising inflection 
at the end. The female varies the call by dropping the last note, making it pee-e-e-e. 
Nesting. A well made but slight structure of fine fibres and rootlets covered with 
lichens and saddled on a branch, 20 to 40 feet from the ground. 
Distribution. It is distributed over nearly all of eastern North America west to 
the prairies, breeding in Canada wherever found. 
The long-drawn plaintive pee-e-we of this bird is a characteristic sound 
of the open woodlands in the spring, and after other birds have relapsed 
into mid-summer silence one still occasionally hears the mournful note. 
