MIDSUMMER MELODIES. I15 
fe-e-w-e-e. On another occasion I was charmed by 
the vocal rehearsals of a young pewee. His youth 
was evident from the fact that he twinkled his wings 
and coaxed for food from the mother bird, who re- 
warded his vocal efforts by feeding him. The song 
was extremely beautiful, spite of the crudeness of its 
execution ; a clear continuous strain, repeated quite 
loudly, with here and there a partially successful at- 
tempt to emit the ordinary pewee notes. Occasion- 
ally the parent bird would respond, as if setting the 
ambitious novice a musical copy, and then he would 
make a heroic effort to pipe the notes he had just 
heard, and several times he succeeded admirably. 
He had a voice of excellent quality, but did not 
have it under perfect control; still, the immature 
song was so innocent, so waive and striking, that it 
was a temptation to wish he would never learn to 
sing otherwise. 
Permit me to add, in conclusion, that, while the 
birds are not equally musical or plentiful all the year 
round, yet there is never a time when their behavior 
is not worth careful attention. Moreover, midsum- 
mer is the most favorable time for the study of the 
quaint behavior and varied plumage of young birds, 
—a theme connected with our avian fauna that 
merits more consideration than it has yet received. 
