THE O. & O. SEMI-ANNUAL. 45 
resident in this locality. All through the early part of summer, 
its notes, ‘‘pee-a-wee” and ‘‘a-pee-wee” could be heard at any 
time of day one chose to wander through the woods. Its favorite 
haunts seem to be the tall pine forests with a light undergrowth, 
where it flits about in the branches, just above the tops of the 
bushes, darting about after insects, but making its headquarters, 
so to speak, on some projecting twig, whence it can survey some 
open glade. 
When it is disturbed it calls in a petulant, querulous tone, ut- 
tering only the syllable ‘‘pee-ee” with the accent or stress of voice 
on the last part. Towards midsummer its call is uttered less fre- 
quently, and the absence of it is very noticeable. Later in the 
season this call is dropped entirely for a cry resembling the first 
syllable of its ordinary call, and, strange as it may seem, its for- 
mer call, uttered very rapidly, becomes its note of alarm. 
Another prominent bird in this locality is the Kingbird 
(Zyrannus tyrannus). It, too, is a common. resident, and it 
makes the air resound with its shrill cry all through the season. 
Perched on the tallest birch, by the edge of some river-meadow, 
he will look about for a little while, uttering his cry of ‘‘kree” at 
regular intervals of a quarter of a minute, and then he will dart 
off after an insect, after catching which, he will vociferate his 
‘‘kree-kree-kree’’ as if to let everyone know of it, and then he 
will return to his perch on the birch. Often towards sunset, you 
may see them cruising high in the air, catching gnats and other 
insects that come out at that time. 
Sometimes they have desperate quarrels among themselves or 
with some other bird, and then they use a call differing from the 
other only in being so harsh, resembling more the syllables ‘‘tsee- 
tsee-tsee.” The calls of this bird are not musical, but the bird 
itself seems to take great pleasure in repeating them. 
~The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is perhaps the most plen- 
tiful of the large birds in this vicinity. Individuals remain here 
all winter, and the woods are full of them in summer. Such 
meetings, such discussions about ‘‘pay-ee-pay-ee” no other bird 
would indulge in!) Morning, noon or night, rain or shine, the 
azure back of the Jay may be seen disappearing over the tall tops 
of the pines, or picking berries and buds on some swinging 
branch. Seven varieties of calls have been counted. 
