FEATHERED GEMS 



list. Most of the morning we spent in the woods well 

 up the slope of a range of hills on the west side of the 

 river. Warblers of one sort or another were w^ithin 

 sight or hearing all the time. Of course the Oven- 

 birds were calling for "teacher" as volubly as usual. 

 The familiar Black and White Creeper was perambulat- 

 ing the tree trunks and larger branches, singing his 

 simple little trill. One of them stopped for a moment 

 on a branch close beside us to see what we were up to, 

 and I just had time to snap him with my "Reflex" 

 before he started off on his travels. Blackburnians 

 and Bay-breasts were unusually common. In one spot 

 several of both of these were searching for food, in 

 some low undergrowth. I sat down upon a rock near 

 by, keeping perfectly quiet, and presently the pretty 

 little things were close around me, occasionally even 

 within arm's reach, and I secured some snapshots of 

 both species, though the May sun was rather fickle, 

 dodging in and out behind the broken cloud masses 

 that had begun to rise. There was considerable moun- 

 tain laurel undergrowth, and the male Black- throated 

 Blues were there in full song, and thus conspicuous, 

 whereas it took careful searching to find their silent 

 and somber-hued little brides, some of whom were 

 already, doubtless, choosing nesting-sites, for they build 

 rather early and are common here with us. Redstarts, 

 Myrtles, and Black- throated Greens were also numerous 

 in the woods. 



Coming down and out, we ate our lunch upon the 



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