144 WOOD NOTES WILD. 



Wood-Pewee. — Contin. 



by its oft-repeated melancholy notes, seeming to speak some settled sorrow 

 that time can never heal. The sighing of the pines is not more expressive 

 of mournful fancies than the sobbing of the little sombre-colored bird, flit- 

 ting apparently inconsolable through their shades." — Stearns, W. A. : N. E. 

 Bird-Life, part ii. p. 29. 



" The wood-pewees possess a sufficient variety of notes to characterize 

 several species. All these sounds are nearly whistles, uttered in a plain- 

 tive and often a drawly tone. None of them are loud, and many are audi- 

 ble only at a very short distance. The most characteristic of these notes is 

 pee-u-ee, often abbreviated to pee-u, and this is frequently repeated. Other 

 syllables, less often heard, are {ch') pe-d-e, whit, whit-pe'e, and pu pu pu pu, 

 uttered very softly. In addition to these there are certain querulous and 

 guttural cries, which are employed chiefly during the season of love." 

 Minot, H. D. : Land-birds and Game-birds of N. E., p. 283. 



Nuttall reports the wood-pewee busy watching its " in- 

 sect prey " : " It then again alights as before, sometimes 

 uttering a sort of gratulatory low twitter, accompanied 

 by a quivering of the wings and tail; and in the lapse 

 of its employment, in a feeble, sighing tone, often cries 

 pee-wee or pee-e', and sometimes pe'-wec pewittitee or pe- 



wittee pe'-wec." 



See Luut, H. : Across Lots (Boston, cop. 1888), p. 97. 



Bluebird. (Seep.u.) 



" The only song of the bluebirds is a repetition of a ' sadly-pleasing ' 

 but cheerful warble of two or three notes, tinged (so to speak) by a 

 mournful tone. This they often give utterance to when on wing, as 

 well as when perched. In autumn, and when with their young, their 

 usual note is a single sad whistle ; but they occasionally use a peculiar 

 chatter as a call-note to their young, whose notes differ from those of 

 their parents." — Minot, H. D. : Land-birds and Game-birds of N. E., p. 52. 



" At this season [early spring] before the earnest robin pours out his 

 more energetic lay from the orchard tree or fence-rail, the simple song of 

 this almost domestic favorite is heard nearly alone ; and if at length he be 

 rivalled at the dawn of day by superior and bolder songsters, he still re- 

 lieves the silence of late hours by his unwearied and affectionate attempts 

 to please and accompany his devoted mate. All his energy is poured out 



