May 



rious of the warblers. Its own color ought to 

 suffice to keep it comfortable in the arctic zone. 



Along the water-courses, commonly on the 

 ground, and often wading in the shallows, one 

 will see at this season a little creature that re- 

 minds him of the sandpiper in its teetering mo- 

 tions and aqueous proclivities, and of a thrush 

 in its olive-brown back and spotted white 

 breast, yet it proves to be another warbler, of 

 the same genus as the oven-bird already referred 

 to ; called, however, by reason of its coloring 

 and habits, the water-thrush or water-wagtail. 

 They are to be seen here only on their way 

 north. Deep in the forests of northern New 

 England, and beyond, they find their home along 

 the banks of the streams, rendering their seclu- 

 sion most delightful by their song, which is de- 

 scribed as being " loud, clear, and exquisitely 

 sweet, beginning with a burst of melody which 

 becomes softer and more delicate until the last 

 note dies away, lost in the ripple of the stream, 

 above which the birds are generally perched." 



Among the rarer discoveries in the Ramble 

 was that of the golden -winged warbler, which 

 -one morning led me, not into forbidden paths, 

 but on to forbidden grass. Believing this to be 

 an emergency wherein the law would be more 



155 



