Summer Birds of Chautauqua 



Hall of Philosophy, Amphitheater, etc. Call a rasping " zee-bee, 

 zee-bee." 



42. Wood Pewee. Abundant summer resident; comes May 7-15, 



leaves about the first of September. Breeding period, June 5- 

 July 20. Not as common on Assembly Grounds as the phcebe. 

 Nests in trees. Callnote " pee ee a wee." 



43. Trail's Flycatcher. Very rare; very difficult to distinguish in the 



field from the Alder Flycatcher. Chautauqua record doubtful. 



44. Least Flycatcher. Common summer resident; arrives May 6-10; 



departs August 20; breeding season May 2O-June 30. Also 

 called Chebeck. Not frequent on Assembly Grounds, but occurs 

 in orchards and open woods in vicinity. 



19. THE LARKS 



45. Prairie Horned Lark. Occasional summer resident; erratic in 



distribution, like the waxwings. Usually in small compact flocks 

 on plowed land and old fields; for example, along the road to 

 Prendergast. A ground bird, running, not hopping. 



20. CROW FAMILY 



46. Blue Jay. Fairly common in the southern part of the country; 



rare in the Chautauqua region; resident throughout the year; 

 breeding period April i-May 10. A saucy, bright-hued vaga- 

 bond, often disturbing other birds ; sometimes eating their eggs. 



47. Crow. Abundant resident throughout the year; breeding season 



April i to May 15. Infrequent on Assembly Grounds, but com- 

 mon in the region. A sagacious, wary bird, with some faults and 

 numerous virtues, not as black as he is painted. 



21. BLACKBIRD FAMILY 



48. Bobolink. Abundant summer resident; arrives May 5, leaves 



Sept. 15; breeding period May 2O-June 10. Very irregular in 

 abundance and distribution. Not on Assembly Grounds, but in 

 open fields, etc., in vicinity. In flocks of from six to sixty; the 

 " reedbird " of the South. 



49. Cowbird. Common summer resident; arrives April 1st, leaves 



Oct. 25th. Breeding season, throughout the summer. A serious 

 pest, wholly parasitic upon the smaller native birds, in whose nests 

 the female deposits her eggs. Every adult cowbird thus repre- 

 sents the destruction of an entire nestful of some of the smaller 



19 



