270 Oldys, Song of the Wood Pewee. [April 



spicuous bird. It is by no means shy, especially near its nest, 

 where it will stand in the top of the nearest tree silently watching 

 the intruder. 



There were one or two pairs of these birds in nearly every 

 rookery on the St. Johns, but in spite of our efforts, we succeeded 

 in finding only two of their nests, both on April 21. 



The first nest was on the outer edge of the rookery on a leaning 

 willow and only four feet above the water. It measured 20 by 16 

 inches, was made of large sticks and lined with fine twigs ; the 

 five eggs in it were on the point of hatching, some of them already 

 pipped, so we contented ourselves with photographing it while the 

 bird was flying about anxiously. The second nest was within a 

 few yards of a Ward's Heron's nest, these two being the only 

 nests in the vicinity ; it contained two eggs and two young birds, 

 scantily covered with grayish down ; it was placed 8 feet from the 

 ground in a small willow, near the end of a long narrow island. 



In Monroe County we saw a few Yellow-crowned Night Herons 

 on the inland streams, both young and adult birds, but found 

 no nests. 



Although not much in demand for its plumes, it is so tame and 

 unsuspicious that it should be protected, especially from the 

 natives among whom both of the Night Herons are highly 

 esteemed as food. 



THE RHYTHMICAL SONG OF THE WOOD PEWEE. 



BY HENRY OLDYS. 



The usual phrases of the Wood Pewee are well known. The 

 bird sings so persistently through the summer, when most birds 

 are silent, that its melancholy rising and falling tones are familiar 

 to all that frequent the woods during the milder season. But that 

 these detached phrases are combined into a rhythmical song, 

 uttered during the twilight hours of morning and evening, is a 

 fact that seems generally to have escaped observation. 



I first heard this interesting utterance in 1894, and not again, 



