204 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



lower portion; a narrow whitish eye-ring (interrupted 

 on upper eyehd) ; lores, intermixed with whitish; chin 

 and throat, dull white or yellowish-white; chest (at 

 least laterally) and sides of breast, pale grayish-olive, 

 becoming still paler on sides and flanks ; rest of under 

 parts, yellowish-white, the longer under tail-coverts 

 with a central wedge-shaped mark (mostly concealed) 

 of pale olive ; under wing-coverts, pale grayish-olive 

 margined into yellowish-white; bill, brownish-black; 

 iris, deep brown. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: Usually saddled on the 

 horizontal limb of a deciduous tree, in clearings or edge 

 of deep woods, from lo to 60 feet up; shallow, con- 

 structed of tine grasses, strips of bark, bits of vegetable 

 or moss fibers, decorated exteriorly with lichens fas- 

 tened with cobwebs, with thick felted sides and thin 

 bottom; indistinguishable from a knot on branch. 

 Eggs: 2 to 4, commonly 3, creamy wliite with a wreath 

 of chestnut, warm brown, and lavender around large 

 end. 



Distribution. — North and South America; breeds 

 from Manitoba, Ontario, southern Quebec, and Prince 

 Edward Island to southern Texas and central Florida. 

 west to eastern Nebraska ; winters from Nicaragua to 

 Colombia and Peru ; casual in Colorado ; accidental in 

 migration in Cuba. 



" The note of the Pewee is a human sigh," 

 says Mr, Burroughs, and the bird's two-syllabled 

 call frequently conveys very distinctly that idea. 



Courtesy of S. A. Lottndgc 

 NEST AND EGGS OF WOOD PEWEE 



T 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



WOOD PEWEE (1 nat. size) 



Often the bird seems to be .saying, " Dear me ! " 

 in a tone which is plaintive and resigned rather 

 than petulant or impatient. Again the syllables 

 are pcc-a-zvce, the first and second slurred and 

 descending; the third of a somewhat higher pitch 

 and more accented, the phrase having distinctly 

 a questioning inflection. About the middle of 

 -August the call is likely to be reduced to two 

 syllables, uttered with a falling inflection and 

 strongly slurred. Always the tone is finer and 

 sweeter than is that of the Phoebe, and the bird 

 itself is much more retiring and timid. Its 

 natural habitat is the deep woods (though it is 

 often found in shade trees near houses), where 

 its half-mournful, half-pensive little plaint seems 

 to be part of the silence, and may be heard 

 throughout the daylight hours. Between sunset 

 and darkness the bird often delivers a sort of 

 twittering song of some length and variety of 

 notes, uttered while it is flitting about in ap- 

 parent excitement the cause of which is not 

 evident. 



The Pewee is an industrious flycatcher and 

 follows its craft much after the manner of the 

 Phd'be, that is, by making frequent sallies after 

 passing insects, and tisually returning to the same 

 perch. That it is not above taking insects which 

 are not on the wing, is shown by its fluttering 

 pauses above a twig or branch from which it 

 evidently snaps up a bug of some kind, and its 

 not infrequent plunges into the grass, apparently 

 for the same purpose. Like all of the Flycatchers 

 its motions are very swift and certain, as well as 

 graceful ; it seems never to miss its prey. It 

 does not flirt its tail as does the Phoebe, from 



