THE NATURALIST AND COLLECTOR 
6 3 
The Wood Pewee, 
C ONSIDERED in regard to their 
usefulness to man, few, if any of 
our bird families take a higher 
rank than the flycatchers. Repres¬ 
ented in Western New York by some 
nine species, they are characterized by 
their somber plumage, large heads, 
usually crested, and thei? flat triangu¬ 
lar bills, with a royv of bristles at the 
base. Most of our flycatchers have a 
habit of jerking and bobbing their 
tails and a peculiar manner of flight 
which renders them quite noticeable. 
By no means the least interesting 
member of this family is the Wood 
Pewee (Contopus virens), which closely 
resembles its near relative the Phoebe 
(Sayornis phoebe), but it is smaller 
and much more shy and retiring. 
The Wood Pewee, being a flycatcher, 
is of course migratory, arriving early 
in May, when the insects have become 
fairly neumerous; it remains till the 
middle of September, when the frosts 
cut short its supply of food. Once 
here, it soon makes itself known by 
its prolonged plaintive notes. They 
cannot be called a song but a melan¬ 
choly, though tender, call as though 
coming from a heart filled with sorrow. 
Pe-e-e-we-e resounds from the orchard 
and grove and the answer pe-e-e-we-e 
echoes back from the forest in the 
same subdued and l ender strains. To 
many persons the notes of this bird 
would seem to present but little that 
is attractive or pleasing; yet to the 
Naturalist and lover of nature they 
have a peculiar sweetness, forming a 
pleasant contrast to the more hurried 
and boisterous songs of many of our 
birds. These notes, heard most fre¬ 
quently in thick woods and secluded 
groves, harmonize beautifully with 
their surroundings, which adds much 
to their effect. 
At midday, during the hot summer 
months, when all other birds are voice¬ 
less its plaintive call is heard among the 
trees; the woods at such times would 
be silent indeed were it not for the 
vocal efforts of these birds. 
True to its name, the Wood Pewee 
delights especially in the solitude of 
deep forests, where, from its perch*on 
some dead limb, it darts out after pass¬ 
ing insects, snapping them up in its 
flat bill. Small flies and mosquitos 
constitute a part of its diet and each 
of its short jerky flights betokens the 
end of one or more of these winged 
torments. The number of insects 
which one of these birds will capture 
is surprising. Not only woods but or¬ 
chards and roadsides are frequented by 
the Wood Pewee. 
They are usually seen alone, each 
one choosing its own particular spot 
where it may be found day after day. 
Towards the last of May or early in 
June domestic duties begin to occupy 
their attention. Having selected some 
suitable branch, usually an oak,though 
sometimes an apple tree or maple, 
they set to work to construct a nest. 
A few bits of grass and vegetable fibres 
are woven together to form the walls, 
which are thick and flat. The bottom 
of the nest is thin, often being formed 
by the branch on which it rests. The 
outside is then covered over with the 
daintiest lichens, so that the whole can 
hardly be told from a natural emarge- 
ment of the limb itself, 
Here are deposited three dainty eggs, 
creamy-white with a wreath of lilac 
and reddish-brown around the larger 
end. They hatch their young in com¬ 
parative safety trom Oologists and 
small boys; their nests are so well pro- 
