The Black Phoebe 
of black fairies. Automobiles pass 
unheeded nowadays, but at the clat¬ 
ter of horses’ hoofs the mistress is 
likely to sally out from under her 
shelter and to remark, tsip, tsip , in 
a very emphatic, if lisping, manner, 
accompanied by a lively “jetting” 
of the tail. This single note is still 
so complex and distinctive in quality 
that it may be recognized anywhere. 
Both at nesting time and elsewhen, 
if in a happy mood, the bird will 
utter a vivacious chedee' chedew or 
chedee chedee chedew ', the first syllable 
in rising, the last in falling inflection; 
and this proper song does duty at 
scolding-time if the tsips are not 
sufficient. 
It is noteworthy that the Black 
Phoebe does not accept support 
from below for its nest, as do both 
phoebe and sayus, holding it to be 
more workmanly to glue its handi¬ 
work firmly against the side of a 
timber. This proficiency gives the 
bird command of the entire under¬ 
pinning of a bridge, and frequently 
assures a fortunate degree of inac¬ 
cessibility. One cannot help won¬ 
dering, though, how the youngsters 
are to manage with their first flight with a swift running stream below 
them and nothing about to offer a foothold. 
The plight of the young aspirant is evidently still more serious in 
the case of those who are reared in the mouth of an old well. For some 
occult reason an abandoned well is irresistible to the Black Phoebe; 
and the birds will nest ten or fifteen feet below the brink. A vertical 
rise of fifteen feet is surely a pretty stiff stunt to propose to a fledgling. 
As an alternative he has—the bottom. Scarcely less foolhardy seemed 
the attempt of a pair on Santa Cruz Island, whose nest overlooked the. 
sea beach at a point which was impassable at high tide. The place 
was several times drenched with spray during our brief acquaintance 
with it, but I dare say the brood weathered through somehow. It is of 
Taken at 
Los Cohorts 
OUR LOCAL FLY-TRAPPER 
