December 



wink seems stranded here for the winter, but 

 has fallen among white-throated friends, and 

 appears in no wise disconsolate. A field spar- 

 row showed itself a couple of days early in the 

 month, and the hermit thrush was last seen on 

 the 7th. What seemed to be a pair of yellow- 

 rumps were found on the 13th, and the song 

 sparrow occasionally until the 25th, while the 

 cardinals have returned to their winter-quar- 

 ters in the Ramble. Among the larger species 

 were gulls and crows, with an occasional coarse, 

 loud tone from a tree - top that revealed the 

 golden-winged woodpecker, which, on thawing, 

 sometimes gives a delightfully mellow note, 

 showing the folly of forcing the tone. 



In walking through the Park on the 28th, 

 a rather sizable bird flew over my head and 

 lighted in a distant tree. If robins had been 

 plentiful I should have thought this to be one, 

 as it was about as large, and yet with some- 

 thing unusual in its appearance that made me 

 curious to follow it up. It showed little timid- 

 ity, but still kept a sharp eye on me as I recon- 

 noitred close enough to see that its plumage 

 was dingy white beneath and ashy above ; not 

 a robin certainly, possibly a shrike. At that 

 instant it flew out of sight, but following its 



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