188 BIRDS OF ALABAMA 



from a rival, and while they never chase hawks or crows as 

 the kingbird does, they resent the presence of the smaller birds 

 in the vicinity of their nests. 



These nests are placed in hollow trees or sometimes in bird 

 boxes. Natural cavities are preferred, but deserted wood- 

 peckers' nests are also used. The cavity is first filled with a 

 mass of rubbish, the nest proper being composed of dry leaves, 

 grasses, rootlets, strips of bark, feathers, hair, and almost in- 

 variably a cast-off snake skin. The eggs, 4 to 6 or rarely 8 in 

 number, are heavily and curiously marked with irregular, 

 longitudinal streaks of brown and lavender. 



Food habits. — The food of the crested flycatcher consists 

 very largely of insects, with a few spiders and a small quan- 

 tity of wild fruit. Prof. Beal has examined 265 stomachs in 

 the Biological Survey, and finds animal matter formed 93.7 

 per cent of the total, and vegetable matter, 6.3 per cent. 

 Among the insects eaten are beetles, weevils, sawflies, horse- 

 flies, stinkbugs, cicadas, leafhoppers, grasshoppers, crickets, 

 katydids, caterpillars, and moths. The vegetable food is 

 largely wild fruit, as mulberries, pokeberries, blackberries, 

 huckleberries, elderberries, chokecherries, grapes, and the 

 fruit of the sassafras, Virginia creeper, and dogwood.f 



PHOEBE ; BRIDGE-PEWEE : Sayomis phoebe (Latham) . 



State records. — The familiar phoebe, or "bridge pewee," is 

 the hardiest member of its family and the only one found in 

 the State in winter. At that season it is generally distributed, 

 but in the breeding season is confined to the northern coun- 

 ties, where it finds suitable nesting sites on cliffs or river 

 bluffs. In the breeding season it has been noted at Elkmont, 

 Natural Bridge, South Lowell, Huntsville (Monte Sano), and 

 along the high cliffs on the Tennessee River between Gunters- 

 ville and Hobbs Island. Old nests have been seen at Logan, 

 Sipsey Fork (near Mellville) , and Ardell. Nests with eggs or 

 young have been found on Sand Mountain, near Carpenter 

 (April 14) , at Florence (May 7) , and on La Grange Mountain, 

 south of Leighton, (April 16, May 18). 



tBeal, F. E. L., Biol. Sunr. Bnll. 44, pp. 24-27, 1812. 



