CHAPTER XV. 



THE FLYCATCHERS, HUMMING-BIRDS, SWIFTS, AND NIGHT- 

 HAWKS. 



THE FLYCATCHERS. 



To the naturalist who wanders much afield the Phcebe, or 

 Pewee, is one of the dearest of feathered friends. For it is 

 a familiar companion in the North from spring until autumn 

 and in the South throughout the winter. It makes its home 

 on almost every farm, so that the sight of it evokes in the 

 mind of every one brought up in the country tender memo- 

 ries of early associations. Nearly all of its food consists of 



insects, most of which 

 are captured in the air. 

 Perched upon an ex- 

 posed twig or a dead 

 mullein-stalk, the bird 

 scans with eager eye the 

 surrounding space, alert 

 for any winged thing 

 that may come within its 

 range of vision. When 

 a beetle or a moth flies 

 by, the bird darts quickly 

 towards it, snaps its ca- 

 pacious beak, and the career of the insect is ended. Return- 

 ing at once to its perch, the phoebe waits patiently for another 

 morsel. Thus it spends its days. 



A careful examination of the contents of many phoebe 



stomachs by experts at Washington "showed that over 



ninety-three per cent, of the year's food consists of insects 



and spiders, while wild fruit constitutes the remainder." The 



174 



THE PHCEBE. 



