157 



No place suits the Phoebe so well for nesting as the flat timber or 

 projecting ledges of an old bridge over some little stream where the air 

 over the water abounds in insect food. In many parts of the country 

 scarcely a bridge but has its pair of Phcebes in the summer. However, 

 the mud nests are not restricted to bridges but are plastered on the slightest 

 projection under the eaves of an outbuilding or even under the family 

 porch. It is a friendly, familiar bird and comes close to man wherever it 

 finds a welcome. Unfortunately its great nests are occasionally the dwelling 

 place of innumerable parasites, in other words bird-lice. The usual course 

 when they appear is to knock the nest down with a stick and apply boiling 

 water. The application of common insect powder to the nest is better. 

 This will kill the parasites and help to retain about the house this 

 confiding and attractive bird. 



Genus — Nuttallornis. Olive-sided Flycatcher. 



459. Olive-sided Flycatcher, fe. — ub motjcheroiae aux c6tes olive. Nut- 

 tallornis borealis. L, 7-39. Much like a large Phoebe, but with less olive and with exten- 

 sive masses of dark colour on either side of the chest. 



Distinctions. In the hand the conspicuous dark patches at the sides of the chest, 

 and the dark undertail-coverts with light tips will separate this species from the Phoebe 

 which it resembles. At the sides of the back, usually concealed under the closed wings, 

 though occasionally displayed over them, are patches of fine silk-like plumage of pure 

 white or cream colour. These will distinguish the Olive-sided from any other species. 



Field Marks. In life the Olive-sided looks more like a dark-breasted Kingbird than 

 a Phoebe or other Flycatcher. The dark chest areas separated by a line of white, however, 

 distinguish them with comparative ease. When the white silky feathers show over the 

 wings at the sides of the lower back, as sometimes occurs, the species cannot be misident- 

 ified. The call notes are somewhat similar in tone and execution to those of the Crested 

 Flycatcher, but a little attention and experience will enable the hearer to distinguish 

 between the two. 



Distribution. North America. Breeds in Canada from the tree limits to the bound- 

 aries of regular cultivation. 



This is typically a bird of the burnt ridges of the north. Its favourite 

 perch is the top of a tall, lone stub in the open, from which its loud, pene- 

 trating voice is heard far and wide. In migration it is local in distribu- 

 tion and though numbers pass unnoticed through the populous southern 

 counties it is usually regarded as a scarce migrant. 



Economic Status. It is too rare and fleeting a species in settled 

 districts to have great economic effect, but it is distinctly beneficial. 



Genus — Myiochanes. Wood Pewees. 



461. Wood Pewee. fh. — le motjcherolle verdatre. Myiochanes virens. L, 6-53. 

 Very similar in coloration to the Phoebe but smaller. 



Distinctions. The Wood Pewee can be separated from the Phoebe and other Fly- 

 catchers of comparable size by its short tarsus and long wings, these being decidedly 

 longer than the tail. 



Field Marks. The Pewee never flirts its tail as does the Phoebe. The sides of the 

 breast are slightly darker, giving a better defined and narrower light median line. Its 

 best identification mark, however, is its call-note which is much like that of the Phoebe 

 but drawn out into a. long "Pee-e-weee" without appreciable accent but with a rising 

 inflexion at the end. The female varies the call by dropping the last note, making it 

 "Pee-e-e-e." 



28587— 11J 



