THE PERCHING BIRDS. 115 



" He builds his nest in a hollow tree deserted by the Bluebird or 

 Woodpecker. The materials of which this is formed are scanty and 

 rather novel. One of these nests, now before me, is formed of a 

 little loose hay, feathers of the Guinea-fowl, hog's bristles, pieces of 

 cast snake-skins, and dog's hair. Snake-skins with this bird appear 

 to be an indispensable article, for I have never yet found one of his 

 nests without this material forming a part of it. Whether he sur- 

 rounds his nest with this by way of terror em, to prevent other birds 

 or animals from entering, or whether it be that he finds its silky soft- 

 ness suitable for his young is uncertain ; the fact, however, is notorious. 

 The female lays four eggs of a dull cream color thickly scratched 

 with purple lines of various tints, as if done with a pen." 



An almost domesticated species is the familiar 

 Pewee, or Phcebe as it is often called. In some 

 localities the name Bridge Pewee is heard, this name 

 being derived from the locality chosen for the nest. 

 But these birds build much nearer dwellings than 

 that, and often on the pillars of porches where people 

 are continually going and coming. Indeed, when a 

 spot is once chosen by them they are not at all dis- 

 posed to give it up, and when the locality meets with 

 no opposition, if the first occupancy is successful, the 

 birds will continue to occupy it year after year. It 

 is the same pair of birds, too, as has been proved by 

 experiment, and we have in pewees certainly a very 

 prominent instance of migratory birds that are per- 

 manently mated. 



The pewee is the earliest of our flycatchers to 

 arrive. I have seen it as early as the end of Feb- 

 ruary, and to find them lingering during our Novem- 

 ber Indian-summer days is not unusual. 



This bird is represented along the Pacific coast by 

 a black phoebe, and there is also another, not so 

 darkly colored, known as Say's Flycatcher. Their 



