824 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Raymond S. Deck 



WHAT! NOT ENOUGH YET? 



A nesting place near human habitation gives the phoebe some protection from its natural 

 enemies — hawks and owls, skunks, squirrels, and weasels. The nest of green moss and mud is a 

 carry-over from the days when this trusting flycatcher dwelt in a niche under a shelving cliff, as 

 many of its kind still do. 



found in summer, the warm brown of its 

 breast identifying it instantly from others 

 of its liind. It is among the least known of 

 its group, as its limited range, from southern 

 Arizona and New Mexico into Mexico, is 

 visited by few who study birds (Plate VII) . 

 The nest of this dainty creature is com- 

 posed of soft materials fastened, often inse- 

 curely, to a branch by filaments of cobweb. 

 The three or four buffy-white eggs are 

 without spots. 



Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 



{Empidonax flaviventris) 



Among eastern flycatchers of its group 

 this species is the easiest to identify, since 

 its yellow breast marks it instantly from 

 any of its relatives (Color Plate VII) . 



In spring it is one of the last of the mi- 

 grants, not arriving until leaves are grown. 

 In their cover it is often overlooked. 

 Though it is considered rare, I recall a few 

 times when at the end of May I have found 

 it actually common. Low perches in heavily 

 shaded woodlands are its favorite haunts. 



This flycatcher ordinarily conceals its 

 nest in heavy moss on the ground, or against 

 a bank or stump. The four or five eggs 

 are white, spotted with brown. 



In fall the yellow-bellied flycatcher is 

 even more richly colored than in spring. 

 It nests in the north from northern British 

 Columbia and Newfoundland to central 

 Alberta and northern Pennsylvania, and 

 winters from southern Mexico to Panama. 



The western flycatcher {Empidonax diffi- 

 cilis dijficiUs), which resembles the yellow- 

 bellied but is grayer above and duller yel- 

 low below, ranges from Alaska and South 

 Dakota to California and western Texas, 

 with a related race, the San Lucas flycatcher 

 (£. d. cineritius), in Baja California. 



Say's Phoebe 



{Sayornis say a) 



Time after time in the arid regions of 

 the West, as I have approached an aban- 

 doned cabin, a gray-brown bird with black 

 tail has appeared on some wire or weather- 

 beaten post. At intervals it twitches its 



