THE WILDERNESS IN JUNE 255 



and between his frequent flycatching forays 

 pipes his mellow ^'pit-pit, pu-pit, pu-pii/^ with 

 something of the tone quality heard in the more 

 attractive utterance of his cousin, the Wood 

 Pewee. 



Quite in contrast to the air of self-possession 

 which characterizes the Olive-sided is the ner- 

 vous, excitable manner of the Sebec, a bird that 

 is very numerous here. There is little about 

 these least of the Flycatchers that attracts one, 

 either in note or habit. Of late along the river 

 bank have been heard the calls of the Alder Fly- 

 catcher. On a low perch he utters a cry which 

 sounds much like "eaze-zve-up, eaze-zve-up,^^ 

 rather wheezy in character and less emphatic 

 than Sebec's call. Like all the family, he is a 

 well-dressed bird, easily known by the pure 

 throat and center of the breast, and two promi- 

 dent wing bars. 



I have been much surprised at the number of 

 Humming Birds which are summering amid the 

 desolation of the stub lot. Rarely do I traverse 

 the trail to First Pond without seeing several 

 perched on dead limb or broken bole of fir or 

 pine. Like tiny sentinels they detect the first 

 approach of danger to their thimble-like homes, 

 so securely hidden in the green moss below this 

 favorite perch that I have not been able to find 

 one, although the search has been both frequent 

 and protracted. As they turn about to keep me 

 well in view, their green backs gleam in the sun- 

 light with the sheen of silk, and their throats 

 flash like rubies. At times several will be seen 

 darting about hither and thither like bees, with 



