THE BLACK PHOEBE. 29 



up your hand, expecting to find out how young 

 phoebes would look and feel in the palm of your 

 hand, you will he disappointed. Out will fly all 

 four of them before you touch them. And it is 

 surprising what a long journey this first flight 

 usually is. They must be surprised themselves. 

 How did they know they had wings? But you 

 frightened them, and the wings of a scared bird 

 seem to grow in half a minute or less. 



They have been seen far down in mine-shafts. 



The phoebes do not nest in colonies, like the 

 swallows. We have not seen a phcebe's nest near 

 the nest of any of her phcebe friends. They like 

 to be alone. 



There is a little boy in San Luis Rey, whom we 

 have not seen, but who writes us letters about the 

 birds he sees around his home. He is too young 

 to go to school, and writes in print. Once he 

 made the picture of a bird which he told us was 

 very tame about the house, but "loves to stay all 

 by himself," " very black, with a white waistcoat." 

 And would we " please tell him what it was" ? 



Had he not told us a word about the "white 

 waistcoat," and the bird's habit of "sitting all 

 alone." we should have recognized the phcebe by 

 its picture drawn with pen and ink. The head 

 is large and slightly crested, and the long black 



