Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/390

 376 PEUTINGER PEWEE relating to him is Kaspar Peucer und Nikolaus Krell, by Henke (Marburg, 1865). PEIJTINGER, Konrad, a German antiquary, born in Augsburg, Oct. 14, 1465, died there, Dec. 24, 1547. He obtained his education in sev- eral Italian universities, and during a large por- tion of his life was actuary in his native city. He published Sermones Convivales de miran- dis Germanice Antiquitatibus (1506), and sev- eral minor writings on antiquarian subjects. He is known from a map in his possession, since called the Tabula Peutingerana, giv- ing the military roads of a large portion of the Roman empire, probably based upon an itinerary of the 4th century. Peutinger ob- tained this map from Konrad Celtes, who had borrowed it from the Benedictine convent at Tegernsee. Fragments of it were published in Venice by Marcus Welser in 1591, with the title Fragmenta Tabulm Antique* ex Peutinge- rorum Bibliotheca. Thereafter the map seems to have been lost till 1714, when it was found again among the papers of the Peutinger fam- ily. It is now in the Vienna library. The first complete edition of it was prepared by Scheyb in 1753, and another by Mannert in 1824. PEWEE, a name given to several species of American flycatchers of the subfamily tyran- nince. The common pewee, or Phoebe bird (sayornis fuscm, Baird), is 7 in. long and 9 in alar extent; the general color of the plu- mage is dull olive-brown above, darkest on the head, and yellowish white below; quills brown, most of the wing feathers edged with dull white ; tail forked, the outer edge of the lateral feather dull white ; bill and feet black. Common Pewee (Sayornis fuscus). This lively species is found throughout eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Flori- da. In the middle states it arrives from the south early in April, and gets out a first brood by the^ middle of May, and a second by the beginning of August; it leaves again for the south in October, migrating by night. The nest resembles that of the barn swallow, being made of mud, grasses, and moss, lined with softer materials, and attached to a rock, wall, or rafter ; they repair the same nest year after year ; the eggs, four to six, are white, with a few reddish spots at the larger end ; the young are hatched out on the 13th day, and leave the nest in 16 more ; the parents show great affec- tion for them, snapping the bill and darting boldly toward all intruders. Its flight is rapid, with frequent sailings ; it is fond of vibrating the tail, erecting the crest, and making a tremu- lous motion with the wings ; it feeds on insects, which it takes with great dexterity on the wing, swallowing them whole, and ejecting the hard parts like the swallows and goatsuck- ers. The wood pewee (contopus virens, Cab.) Wood Pewee (Contopus virens). is 6 in. long, and lOf in extent of wings; the general color above is brownish olive, brown- ish black on the head ; two pale grayish bands across the wings ; a narrow white circle around the eyes ; greenish yellow below, with a gray- ish tinge on the throat and breast. It is fond of the most gloomy forests, but is sometimes seen in shady orchards, and in the autumn near the edges of still ponds surrounded by woods. The flight is swift, with sudden sweeps in pur- suit of its insect prey ; it seizes with certainty moths and other nocturnal insects when it is very dark ; it feeds sometimes also on berries. Its notes are low, mellow, and sweetly melan- choly when in its favorite haunts ; its common name, like that of others of the subfamily, is derived from its utterance of the syllables " pe-wee," singly or repeated. It reaches the middle states about the 10th of May, going as far north as New Brunswick, south to New Granada, and west as far as the high central plains. The nest is delicate in form and struc- ture, covered by lichens, and so apparently a part of the branch to which it is attached as to be detected with difficulty; the eggs are four or five, light yellowish, with reddish spots at the larger end; in the middle states two broods are raised in a season ; it boldly attacks man, beast, or bird approaching its nest. Many other dark-colored flycatchers are called " pewee," as for instance the short-legged pe- wee (C. Richardsoriii, Cab.), much resembling the last species, and found on the western coast of North America.