The Western Wood Pewee 
without a troubled 
thought. 
The nest is a moder¬ 
ately deep, well-made 
cup of hemp, fine bark- 
strips, grasses, and simi¬ 
lar soft substances; and 
it is usually saddled 
upon a horizontal limb 
of pine, fir, maple, alder, 
oak, aspen, sycamore, 
etc.; but occasionally 
the nest is set in an up¬ 
right crotch of a willow 
or some dead sapling. 
Nests having such sup¬ 
port are naturally deeper 
than saddled nests, but 
the characteristic fea¬ 
ture of both sorts is the 
choice of a site quite 
removed from the pro¬ 
tection of leaves. The 
grayish tone of the bark 
in the host tree is always 
accurately matched 
in the choice of nesting 
materials, and, if the 
result can be secured in 
no other way, the ex¬ 
terior of the nest is 
elaborately draped with 
cobwebs. 
All eggs appear 
beautiful to the seasoned 
oologist, but few surpass in dainty elegance the three creamy ovals of 
the Pewee, with their spotting of quaint old browns and subdued lav¬ 
enders. They are genuine antiques, and the connoisseur must pause 
to enjoy them even though he honors the prior rights of Mr. and Mrs. 
M. Richardsoni. It is not certain that we shall be left to undisturbed 
enjoyment either. If the Pewee’s nest is placed in the open, it is only 
that she may watch it the better, and woe betide the stranger, bird or 
Taken in Modoc County 
Photo by the Author 
A PORTRAIT 
909 
