158 BIRDS OF THE ROCKIES 



is the lazuli again,"" I muttered. " I know that voice."" 

 For a while I eyed the tree, and presently caught sight 

 of the little triller, and behold, it was — a summer 

 warbler ! All my self-complacency vanished in a 

 moment ; I was n"'t cock-sure of anything ; and I am 

 obliged to confess that I was led astray in a similar 

 manner more than once afterward. It may indicate an 

 odd psychological condition to make the claim ; but, 

 absurd or not, I am disposed to believe that, whenever 

 I really heard the lazuli, I was able to recognize his 

 song with a fair degree of certainty, but when I heard 

 the summer warbler I was thrown into more or less con- 

 fusion, not being quite sure whether it was that bird or 

 the other. 



The most satisfactory lazuli song I heard was on the 

 western side of the range, at the resort called Glenwood. 

 This time, as was usually the case, I heard the little 

 triller before seeing him, and was sure it was Passerina 

 amce7ia, as the bunting strains were plainly discern- 

 ible. He was sitting on a telephone wire, and did not 

 flit away as I stood below and peered at him through 

 my glass, and admired his trig and handsome form. I 

 studied his song, and tried to fix the peculiar intona- 

 tions in my mind, and felt positive that I could never be 

 caught again — but I was. ^ 



1 In the foregoing remarks the lazuli finches have been repre- 

 sented as excessively shy. So they were in 1899 in the neighbor- 



