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.” 
(ad). 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 (ch’) pe-6-e, whit, whit-pée, 
and pu pu pu pu uttered very softly. In addition to these 
there are 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. 
