52

1916

(Crested Flycatcher) one of the old birds visit it regularly with
food for the young, on July 6 [July 6, 1916], but gave it no closer attention
during the present season, being unwilling to thereby risk disturbing
the Flycatchers, whose long continued occupancy of it has been
a source of so much pleasure and interest to me.

82. Pheobe. Dexter reported a [male] singing in or near Concord Village
on March 28 [March 28, 1916]. I heard & saw the first on April 5 [April 5, 1916] at our Farm, where
his mate did not appear until the 12th [April 12, 1916]. He sang more or less freely on
both 5th [April 5, 1916] and 6th [April 6, 1916] but after that was heard only twice during the remainder of
the month on 17th [April 17, 1916] and 29th [April 29, 1916]. During May, also, he remained silent
for the most part, being heard only on the 5th [May 5, 1916], 6th [May 6, 1916], 7th [May 7, 1916], 9th [May 9, 1916], 18th [May 18, 1916], and 20th [May 20, 1916]
while my notes record but a single instance of singing in June - on the 7th [June 7, 1916].
Yet the pair nested as usual in our barn cellar and constantly frequented
the dooryard close to the house. Their nest contained 3 eggs on May 2 [May 2, 1916]
and on the 20th [May 20, 1916] 5 young which had not left in[it] by the 28th [May 28, 1916], although
then apparently about to do so. Soon after this they disappeared, to be seen
no more as almost invariably happens when young Phoebees [Phoebes] first take wing -
but both parents continued to be seen daily about the mouth of the cellar
through the entire month of June and on the 28th [June 28, 1916] I found that the [female]
had laid a second clutch of eggs in the same nest but just how
many there were I failed to ascertain. The nest was as usual, in an 
open-fronted box suspended from the ceiling of the cellar where rats and
squirrels cannot get at it. Hence the birds are never troubled by these
or other four footed marauders but a grey Screech Owl, who from May 15
to about June 12 spent most of his days in the barn above the 
cellar gave them no little concern when he showed himself at evening in
an opening under the roof or gliding from it on wing - although he is not
known to have molested them or their young. Another pair of Phoebees [Phoebes] bred,
apparently successfully in the cellar at the Ritchie place but for the first time
in many years I failed to note the species at Ball's Hill.