April 



goldfinch would be a " shining mark " for its 

 enemies in the leafless publicity of a winter 

 landscape, were it not for the substitution of a 

 quiet suit of brown for its brilliant summer 

 dress. 



April is the first great harvest month for the 

 ornithologist. The winter species are still 

 loath to leave, and the summer residents and 

 migrants are coming in considerable numbers. 

 The golden-winged woodpeckers are becoming 

 quite numerous, and during the first week the 

 golden-crowned kinglets, which seemed to be 

 entirely absent for several weeks, returned in 

 great force, having probably been driven south- 

 ward by the intense cold. The brown creeper, 

 which seems at first to have no affiliations 

 among its kind, and to do business entirely on 

 its own account, but which I have commonly 

 found to be within hailing distance of kinglets 

 or chickadees, also left this region just as sud- 

 denly as the gold-crests about the middle of 

 January, and reappeared the very same day in 

 April, and almost within stone's throw, which 

 indicates that, although they are not garrulous 

 friends, there is a very tacit understanding be- 

 tween them. 



Amid the singing (or attempts to sing) of 



lOI 



