56 The New York State College of Forestry 
and the conspicuous crest, render the Blue Jay a striking member 
of the avian society. It has a bad reputation, however, from 
its propensity to violate the homes of smaller birds, and there is 
usually a great outcry from nesting birds when a Blue Jay appears 
in their vicinity. The Jay frequents the broken margins of the 
woods along the river shore, lakes, and basal ravines of the hillsides, 
wherever oak woods abound. 
40. Least Flycatcher. Empidonax minimus (W. M. & S. F. 
Baird ) 
This little flycatcher is common in the Bear Mountain locality. 
It frequents the broken woodlands where there are open spots amid 
shrubs interspersed with hardwood trees of medium size, cleared 
margins of lakes and streams, and hillsides with scattered trees 
and bushes. Its call is usually translated as “ che-bec ”, accented 
on the ending syllable, but I am frank to say that my personal 
impressions of the call always make the opening syllable more 
emphatic to me. The small Flycatchers are difficult to distinguish 
one from another except by close comparisons with the birds in 
hand, their varying habits serving as the best guides to the identity 
of the species in question. 
41. Wood Pewee. Myiochanes virens (Linn.) 
The Wood Pewee is common in the Bear Mountain locality, fre- 
quenting the broken woods of the boat landing grounds, the mar- 
gins of the lake, and the openings of the forest along the roadway 
at the base of the mountain. Like all the flycatchers, it chooses 
a station on a bare or dead branch, from which it sallies out in 
its quest of insect food, alighting again at a similar station to 
watch for flying insects. The call of the Wood Pewee is a plain- 
tive “ pee-a-wee ”, announcing its presence in the neighborhood to 
which it limits its activities, and giving animation to the other- 
wise silent woods in late summer until well into August, when per- 
haps only it and the Bed-eyed Vireo have not been silenced. 
42. Phoebe. Sayornis phoebe (Lath.) 
The Phoebe can be seen and heard in the vicinity of the out- 
buildings, bridges, and cabins near water throughout the Bear 
