SAY PHOEBE. Sayornis sayus (Bonaparte)

Field characters.—But little larger than Junco or Linnet; tail long, as long as body. Coloration ashy brown; tail blackish; belly pale cinnamon. Makes frequent changes of position and flies out after passing insects. Voice: A plaintive, protracted pee-ur, the two syllables being scarcely distinguishable.

Occurrence.—Common winter visitant to open country in vicinity of Lagrange and Snelling. Recorded also 10 miles east of Coulterville, March 20, 1916. Visits vicinity of Mono Lake after the nesting season. Perches on rocks or fences, or on bare twigs of low bushes.

The Say Phoebe is a flycatcher of desert predilections, and hence not likely to come to the attention of the average Yosemite visitor. In winter it is found on the San Joaquin plains and about the rocky outcrops and earth bluffs of the western foothills. From late June until September or later, in the dispersal which follows the breeding season, it invades the territory about Mono Lake. Near Walker Lake on September 14, 1915, 6 of these birds were seen in a 3-1/2-hour census. Each individual was by itself, perched on some dead twig affording a good view over the general level of the surrounding sagebrush, from which the bird could dart out after passing insects.