° row ] Mxjnro, Birds of the Okanagan Valley. 71 



June 6, 1911. Two eggs, incubation started. Nest twenty feet from 

 the ground on a drooping branch of a dead maple, in a birch and maple 

 draw in the mountains. Outside of nest composed of lichen and small 

 shreds of moss, presenting a ragged appearance from below. The lining 

 was of felted cotton wood down. This nest was discovered through the 

 angry, excited actions of the female. She buzzed around my head, as 

 I approached the tree, and would not leave the vicinity of the nest. 



June 30, 1916. Found female sitting on two partly incubated eggs. 

 Nest of lichen and plant down, and lined with plant down; saddled on a 

 small dead twig of a Douglas fir, on the outside of the tree, seven feet above 

 the ground. A few inches above the nest was a thick spray of live fir, 

 effectually shielding the sitting bird from the hot sun. This was on a 

 steep, rocky mountain side among thick timber. 



A birch and maple draw is the favorite home of Stellula calliope, and one 

 can often see six or eight, buzzing around a birch tree, which a Red-naped 

 Sapsucker has girdled. 



Tyrannus verticalis. Western Kingbird. — Common summer resi- 

 dent. The earliest record during seven years is April 25, 1911, and the 

 latest May 13, 1912 Their departure in the fall is more uniform; August 

 17, 1911, being the earliest and August 27 the latest. In five other years, 

 there was a difference of only three days in their departure, August 20 

 being an average date. 



They nest in most curious places. For two seasons, a pair built in the 

 eaves-trough of my house, directly over the vent. Both years the eggs 

 were destroyed by rain storms and washed into the rain barrel. A window 

 ledge is a favorite nesting site. The residents along some of the country 

 roads nail up small soap or starch boxes on their gate-posts for the recep- 

 tion of milk bottles, etc.; these are frequently used as nesting sites. I 

 have known them to build on a ledge above the kitchen door of a farm 

 house, which was opened and shut fifty times during the day. Frequently 

 they use abandoned Flicker holes, or the roughened, decayed top of a fence 

 post . 



The nests are well made of roots, weed-stalks, string, etc., lined with 

 plant down and horsehair or sheep's wool when it can be found. Four is 

 the usual number of eggs laid. 



Sayornis sayi. Say's Phcsbe. — Summer resident, much more com- 

 mon the past three years. A nest containing young, found on May 25, 

 1916, was built largely of dry, lace-like Pntamogeton, that had been washed 

 up on the beach and bleached white by the sun. The nest was inside a 

 vacant tent, on a wooden cross-support, near the door. 



Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni. Western Wood Pewee.— 

 Common summer resident; the earliest record is May 9, 1916, and the 

 latest departure September 13, 1915. They breed commonly along road- 

 sides, preferably in aspens (Populus tremuloides) . They are late in breed- 

 ing. The earliest record for a full complement of eggs is June 22, 1916. 

 The nests are usually rather flimsy, made of plant fibres, fine weed stalks, 

 cobwebs and perhaps a few pieces of lichen. They are usually built 



