Birds of Pennsylvania, 151 



Genus SAYORNIS. Bonaparte. 

 456. Sayornis phoebe (Lath.). 



Phoebe ; Pewee. 



Description. 



Sides of breast and upper parts dull olive-brown, fading slightly toward the tail ; 

 top and sides of head dark-brown; a few dull-white feathers on the eyelids; lower 

 parts dull yellowish-white, mixed with brown on the chin, and in some individuals 

 across the breast; quills brown, the outer primary, secondaries, and tertials edged 

 with dull white ; in some individuals the greater coverts faintly edged with dull- 

 white ; tail brown, outer edge of lateral feather dull-white, outer edges of the rest 

 like the back ; tibiae brown ; bill and feet black ; bill slender, edges nearly straight; 

 tail rather broad, and slightly forked, third quill longest, second and fourth nearly 

 equal, the first shorter than sixth. 



In autumn, and occasionally in early spring, the colors are much clearer and 

 brighter. Whole lower parts sometimes bright sulphur-yellow, above greenish-olive, 

 top and sides of the head tinged with sooty ; in the young or the year, the colors are 

 much duller ; all the wing coverts broadly tipped with light^ferruginous, as also the 

 extreme ends of the wings and tail feathers • the brown is prevalent on the whole 

 throat and breast ; the hind part of the back, rump, and tail, strongly ferruginous. 

 Length about 7 inches ; extent about 11 inches. 



Hab. — Eastern North America, from the British Provinces south to Eastern Mex- 

 ico and Cuba, wintering from the South Atlantic and Gulf States southward. 



The Phoebe bird or Pewee, so named from its note, is one of our 

 earliest spring migrants ; it arrives in Pennsylvania mostly about the 

 middle of March, and continues in this region until about the 15th of 

 October. A few individuals sometimes linger as late as the first of 

 November. In the early part of February, 1883, 1 saw Mr. C. D. Wood, 

 of Philadelphia, skinning a Pewee which had been shot on the 22d of 

 January, 1883, at Spring City^ Chester county, Pa, 



In Cecil county, Maryland, and the southern portion, of Delaware, I 

 have on different occasions seen these birds as late as the 25th of No- 

 vember. During the latter part of February, 1885, when camping at 

 Drayton Island, in Lake George, Florida, I obtained five of these Fly- 

 catchers, and found that all had fed chiefly on Palmetto berries. The 

 nest is generally built under a bridge or shelving rocks ; oftentimes, 

 however, this species is found breeding about barns and other build- 

 ings. Although the Pewee seldom breeds in the woods, it occasionally 

 builds its nests against the dirt-covered roots of trees which have been 

 blown over ; I have twice found their nests, in forests, placed in these 

 situations. Both sexes engage in building their nest, which is completed 

 in about six days. The materials used in its construction are mosses, 

 grasses, fine roots, mud, feathers, etc. The eggs, usually five in num- 

 ber, are pure white and unspotted, sometimes, however, they are 

 faintly spotted with reddish brown. They measure about .80 of an 

 inch in length, and .55 of an inch in width. Incubation, which is en- 

 gaged in only by the female, lasts for a period of about twelve days. 



