DESCRIPTIVE LIST 205 



Genus Sayornis (Gray) 

 189. Sayornis phcebe (Lath.). PHCEBE; "PEWEE." 



Description: Ads. Upperparts grayish brown with an olive-green cast; crown distinctly 

 darker, fuscous; wings and tail fuscous, wing-bars not conspicuous; outer vane of outer tail- 

 feather white or yellowish white, except at the tip; underparts white, more or less washed with 

 yellowish, and tinged with brownish gray on the breast and sides; bill black. Im. and Ads. in 

 winter. Similar, but upperparts more olive, underparts more yellow, and wing-bars more 

 distinct. L., 6.99; W., 3.38*T., 2.95; B. from N., .41. 



Remarks. The Phoebe's principal distinguishing characters are its fuscous crown-cap, white 

 outer vane of the outer tail-feather, and blackish lower mandible. (Chap., Birds of E. N. A.} 



Range in United States. -East of the Mississippi; breeding throughout its range, except in 

 the more southern portion. 



Range in North Carolina. Whole State at all seasons, except parts of the mountain region 

 in winter, but not common in the east in summer. 



FIG. 160. PHCEBE. 



The Phoebe is one of the most familiar summer birds of the mountains, breed- 

 ing often on the beams or rafters of barns and under bridges. The nest is com- 

 pactly and neatly built of mud and various vegetable substances, with a lining of 

 grass and feathers. One taken April 20, 1892, near Raleigh was situated on a 

 slight ledge in the vertical side of a large bowlder near Neuse River, and was 

 composed of green moss, cotton, fine grass, and weed stems felted together, making 

 a deep, almost cup-shaped nest. A pair used to nest in the side of an old dry well 

 close to a house formerly occupied by C. S. Brimley. 



The eggs are four or five in number, pure white, usually unspotted, but some- 

 times with a few reddish spots near the larger end. The average size is .80 x .50. 

 We have few actual breeding dates, but the nesting season appears from these to 

 be from the middle of April to the end of May. 



In winter the Phcebe feeds to a large extent on berries, although, like other fly- 

 catchers, it is almost exclusively insectivorous at other seasons. 



Genus Nuttallornis (Ridgw.) 

 190. Nuttallornis borealis (Swains.). OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. 



Description. Slaty brown above, with darker streaks. Middle line of belly distinctly and 

 abruptly white; otherwise grayish below. A conspicuous tuft of cottony white feathers on each 

 side of rump, usually concealed by the wings. L., 7.50; W., 4.25; T., 3.00. 



