WINTER BIRDS ABOUT BOSTON. 191 



all the year round, and that whoever had in- 

 formed him to the contrary must have under- 

 stood him to be speaking about the golden 

 warbler. He expressed his gratification, but 

 declared that he had really entertained no 

 doubt of the fact himself ; he had often seen 

 the birds on the mountain when he had been 

 cutting wood there in midwinter. At such 

 times, he added, they were very tame, and 

 would come about his feet to pick up crumbs 

 while he was eating his dinner. Then he went 

 on to tell me that at that season of the year 

 their plumage took on more or less of a red- 

 dish tinge : he had seen in the same flock some 

 with no trace of red, others that were slightly 

 touched with it, and others still of a really 

 bright color. At this I had nothing to say, 

 save that his red birds, whatever else they 

 were, could not have been goldfinches. But 

 next winter, when I saw the " yellow-birds " 

 and the red - poll linnets feeding together in 

 Commonwealth Avenue, I thought at once of 

 my Wachusett friend. Here was the very 

 scene he had so faithfully described, — some 

 of the flock with no red at all, some with red 

 crowns, and a few with bright carmine crowns 

 and breasts. They remained all winter, and 

 no doubt thought the farmers of Boston a very 

 good and wise set, to cultivate the evening 



