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" tweer," or " deer." It ranges from the valleys to the 

 higher Sierra Nevada, building its nest indiscriminately 

 in pine, cottonwood, aspen, oak, ash, or fruit trees, but 

 always near water. In habits it is essentially a fly- 

 catcher, darting out from a favorite perch to seize its 

 prey in the air. Mr. Lawrence advances the theory that 

 it feeds high among the tree-tops during the early morn- 

 ing and late evening, because the sunlight sets the insects 

 stirring there before it does those of the undergrowth. 



The nests of this species are deeper and more solid 

 than those of the Eastern pewee, in whose shallow 

 structures the bare foundation branch sometimes shows 

 through the scanty lining. Fine dry grasses, vegetable 

 fibre, shredded inner bark and plant down, woven well 

 together and bound with web from spider or cocoon, 

 form the walls. A lining of softer material, with occa- 

 sionally a few feathers, completes the cradle which, about 

 the middle of June, will contain two or three small eggs. 

 Both parents share in the building of the home, though 

 the male usually prefers to bring the material and the 

 female to weave the walls to her own liking. She alone 

 broods on the nest, but her little lover sits on a twig 

 near by, calling her "dear" in sweetest tones, and if he 

 makes two syllables of it, the meaning is just as clear. 

 At the end of two weeks his cocky airs tell you there 

 are babies in the wee nest, and that upon him falls the 

 tremendous responsibility of guarding and feeding them. 

 Small butterflies, gnats, all sorts of small winged insects 

 are the orthodox food for infant flycatchers, and are 

 swallowed at the rate of one every two minutes. Nor 



