OF NEW ENGLAND. 283 



The Wood Pewees, when perching, do not flirt their tails in 

 the manner of the Common Pewee, though they sometimes 

 move them, when nervously quivering their wings. They usu- 

 ally choose a perch between ten and forty feet above the ground, 

 from which they sally, often snapping up a dozen insects at a 

 time. Although they fly quickly, they are rarely on wing for 

 more than a minute, unless playing together and chasing one an- 

 other through the branches. They frequent almost exclusively 

 woods and groves, either of pines or deciduous trees, either dry 

 or swampy, and they rarely wander even to orchards. They 

 resort to wet places, chiefly in the evening, when they are, 

 perhaps, most active. The insects which abound near pools of 

 stagnant water afford them rich repasts, and opportunities of 

 displaying their adroitness to its best advantage. Audubon 

 says that "this species, in common with the Great Crested 

 Flycatcher, and the Least Wood Pewee, is possessed of a pe- 

 culiarity of vision, which enables it to see and pursue its prey 

 with certainty, when it is so dark that you cannot perceive the 

 bird, and are rendered aware of its occupation only by means 

 of the clicking of its bill." 



(d). The Wood Pewees possess a sufficient variety of notes 

 to characterize several species. All these sounds are nearly 

 whistles, uttered in a plaintive and often a drawly tone. None 

 of them are loud, and many are audible 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 (c/i') pe-o-e, whit, whit-pee, 

 and pu pu pu pu uttered very softly. In addition to these 

 there arc certain querulous and guttural cries, which are em- 

 ployed chiefly during the season of love. The Wood Pewees 

 become more or less silent in autumn, but I have heard and 

 seen them in the White Mountains so late as the 17th of Sep- 

 tember. They usually leave Massachusetts about the middle 

 of that month. 



