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OUR SOUTHERN BIRDS 



Phoebe is sometimes spoken of as the Bridge 

 Pewee; but throughout the mountain region they 

 are known chiefly as rock nesters, building in the 

 safe overhang of cliffs and sheltered ledges near 

 streams. They often choose the eaves of a 

 spring house, or a beam or rafter of a porch, 

 and will build in a barn or shed if water is not 



far away. 



I used to know a "rock- 

 house" under a mountain 

 bluff where the nest of a 

 Phoebe was to be seen every 

 spring, with portions of 

 those of preceding seasons 

 still clinging to the face of 

 the rock, and mud rings — 

 as many as five might be 

 counted — marking sites of 

 others long crumbled away. This historic record 

 was probably not so extensive as I believed at the 

 time, since Phoebe may build two or three homes 

 and hatch a brood from each in a single season. 

 But the nest itself justified my deep interest, 

 being cup-like in form, cemented firmly to the 

 sandstone, and woven of moss and grass and soft 

 vegetable fibres plastered together with mud. 

 Phoebe likes to line this structure with chicken 

 feathers — a habit that frequently causes trouble, 

 as mites are fatal to baby Phoebes. 



PHOEBE 



Length 7 inches 



