234 A BIRD-LOVERS APRIL. 



I saw no bay-winged buntings until the 22d, 

 although it is likely enough they had been here 

 for some days before that. By a lucky chance, 

 my very first bird was a peculiarly accomplished 

 musician : he altered his tune at nearly every 

 repetition of it, sang it sometimes loudly and 

 then softly, and once in a while added cadenza- 

 like phrases. It lost nothing by being heard on 

 a bright, frosty morning, when the edges of the 

 pools were filmed with ice. 



Only three species of warblers appeared dur- 

 ing the month : the pine-creeping warblers, al- 

 ready spoken of, who were trilling on the 14th ; 

 the yellow-rumped, who came on the 23d ; and 

 the yellow red-polls, who followed the next morn- 

 ing. The black-throated greens were mysteri- 

 ously tardy, and the black-and-white creepers 

 waited for May-day. 



A single brown thrush was leading the chorus 

 on the 29th. " A great singer," my note-book 

 says : " not so altogether faultless as some, but 

 with a large voice and style, adapted to a great 

 part ; " and then is added, " I thought this morn- 

 ing of Titiens, as I listened to him ! " — a bit of 

 impromptu musical criticism, which, under cover 

 of the saving quotation marks may stand for 

 what it is worth. 



Not long after leaving him I ran upon two 

 hermit thrushes (one had been seen on the 



