276 BULLETIN 17 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



their pathetically plaintive note; and often in the night, as we have 

 lain awake in the tent, some Pewee has aroused itself and a long 

 drawn 'pewee' has punctuated the darkness with its soft sweetness." 



Harrison F. Lewis, in a letter to Mr. Bent, writes: "On July 12, 

 1920, I saw a wood pewee dash out of a tree at the height of about 

 40 feet from the ground and fly wildly and erratically about in a 

 small area, crying rapidly and unceasingly, in a high-pitched 

 squeaky voice, tuhee-chuttle-chuttle^ whee-chuttle, etc., for about 

 half a minute," 



I have heard similar notes in midsummer from a pewee perched in 

 a tree — seven or eight short whistled syllables given as a rapid 

 twitter which suggested a goldfinch's voice, and wholly lacked the 

 usual drawling quality of the pewee's. 



The wood pewee's call note is a soft monosyllable, lower and less 

 sharply enunciated than the explosive chip of the phoebe. 



Francis Beach White, who has studied the voice of the wood pewee 

 for more than 20 years, calls attention (MS.) to a seasonal variation 

 in the notes. He says : "In the last week of May, prolonged singing 

 analogous to the twilight song is heard, but this is not developed 

 fully until June. In June the notes take on a somewhat richer tone. 

 In July the phee-em is heard in long series, especially at dawn and 

 after sunset, and excited jumbles of song notes may also be heard 

 occasionally, as well as antiphonal calling. In August, notes of more 

 emotional tone are given, and toward the last of the month pu-ee 

 is often heard with a strident element in the last syllable. The 

 human reaction to the notes endues the last-mentioned call with a 

 petulant anxiety, and the twilight song with a paradoxical mourn- 

 ful happiness." 



Field marks. — The following excellent differential diagnosis is 

 quoted from Ralph Hoffmann (1904) : "The long-drawn song, when 

 given, distinguishes the Wood Pewee from any of the other Fly- 

 catchers, but when the bird is silent it may be confused either with 

 the Phoebe or with the Chebec. It may be distinguished from the 

 former by its smaller size and by its well-marked wing-hars; more- 

 over, it never flirts its tail after the manner of the Phoebe. It is 

 considerably larger than the Chebec, and, when it faces an observer, 

 the middle of its breast shows a light line separating the darker 

 sides." 



Enemies. — The wood pewee is subject only to the dangers that 

 beset most of the small passerine birds. Notable among its enemies 

 is the blue jay, which may rob it of its eggs or young. 



Dr. Friedmann (1929) calls the wood pewee "a not uncommon vic- 

 tim of the Cowbird. * * * As many as four Cowbird eggs have 

 been reported from a single nest of this species, but such cases are 



