852 BIRDS OF ILLINOIS. 



species are as different as their habits, those of the Wood Pewee 

 being pecuharly plaintive, — a sort of waihng p-e-e-e-e-i, wee, the first 

 syllable emphasized and long drawn out, and the tone a clear, plain- 

 tive wiry whistle, strikingly different from the cheerful, emphatic 

 notes of the true Pewee. Says Dr. Brewer {Hist. N. Ain. B., Vol. 

 II., p. 358) : 



"This species, like all its family, is a very expert catcher of in- 

 sects, even the most minute, and has a wonderful quick percep- 

 tion of their near presence, even when the light of day has nearly 

 gone and in the deep gloom of the thick woods. It takes its station 

 at the end of a low dead limb, from which it darts out in quest of 

 insects, sometimes for a single individual, which it seizes with a 

 peculiar snap of its bill ; and, frequently meeting insect after insect, 

 it keeps up a constant snapping sound as it passes on, and finally 

 returns to its post to resume its watch. During this watch it occa- 

 sionally is heard to twitter, with a quivering movement of the wings 

 and tjiil, and more rarely to enunciate a louder but stiU feeble call- 

 note, sounding like 'pee-e.'" 



The nest of this species, which is always "saddled" and securely 

 attached to a rather stout branch, usually lichen-covered, is one of 

 the most elegant examples of bird architecture. From beneath, it 

 usually so much resembles a natural protuberance of a branch, or 

 knotty excrescence, that but for its betrayal by the owner it would 

 seldom be discovered. It is a very compact saucer-shaped structure, 

 with thick walls, and the whole exterior is a beautiful "mosaic" of 

 green, gray, and glaucous lichens. The eggs themselves are ex- 

 tremely handsome, having a rich but delicate cream-colored ground, 

 and ornamented by a "wreath" round the larger end of rich mad- 

 der-brown, purple, and Idac spots. 



Genus EMPIDONAX Cabanis. 



EmpidonaxCiLak'ST.s, Journal fur Ornithologie, iii. Nov. 1855. 480. Type. Tyrannula 

 pusilla Swains. 



"Gen. Char. Tarsus lengthened, considerably longer than the bill, and exceeding the 

 middle toe, which is decidedly longer than the hind toe. Bill variable. Tail very slightly 

 forked. even. or rounded; a little shorter only than tiie wings, which are considerably 

 rounded; the first primary much shorter than the fourth. Head moderately crested. 

 Color olivaceous above, yellowish beneath; throat generally gray. 



"The lengthened tarsi, the short toes, the short and rounded wings, and the plain dull 

 olivaceous of the plumage, readily distinguish the species of this genus from any other 

 North American Flycatchers. The upper plates of the tarsi in a good many species do 

 not encircle the outside, but meet there a row on the posterior face." (Hist. X. Am. B.) 



