PHOEBE 



105 



SUMMER TANAGER 

 Length 7y 2 inches 



Like the female of the Cardinal and of the 

 Scarlet Tanager, the mother bird of this species 

 is clad in "protective 

 coloring' ' that renders 

 her hard to see among 

 the leaves. Her nest is 

 placed near the end of 

 a limb, and made of 

 fine twigs, strips of 

 bark, weedstalks, and 

 leaves, lined more 

 softly with tendrils and 

 blossom stems. It con- 

 tains four bluish or greenish eggs, specked with 

 cinnamon brown. 



PHOEBE 



Earliest of birds to return in spring, often 

 wintering in the Gulf States, the Phoebe should 

 occupy a very friendly place in our thoughts. 

 Nearly every bridge in the country has its 

 Phoebe's nest, the same pair returning to the 

 spot year after year to build; though it is to be 

 doubted whether the Phoebes seen in a neighbor- 

 hood during the winter are the same individuals 

 as those who in summer make their nests there. 

 The pairs are supposed to mate, if not for life, 

 at least for a term of years; but they separate 

 during the migratory flight. 



