FEATHERED GEMS 



beautiful river bank, and then followed the "river 

 road," with its variety of over-arching trees and fringe 

 of swampy thickets. It is usually a fine place for birds, 

 and to-day it fairly outdid itself. We had gone but a 

 little way when there was a flash of yellow in the road- 

 side thicket and here was the Canadian Warbler, with 

 the necklace of black beady spots hung across his yellow 

 breast, the brilliancy of which was enhanced by the 

 more somber grayish back. This one was but the first 

 of many, for we kept meeting them every few minutes. 

 And now came an even yellower, though smaller, ap- 

 parition, a Wilson's Warbler, or Wilson's Black-cap, 

 skipping blithely about in a clump of bushes, quaint in 

 his shiny black little feather cap. In the thickets along 

 the river bank were any number of Northern Yellow- 

 throats, and their "witchery-witchery" songs stood out 

 above the general chorus. In the same haunts we spied 

 out an occasional Water "Thrush," or Wagtail, near 

 relative of the Oven-bird, but darker of back and even 

 more heavily streaked on the breast. They were 

 walking sedately through the debris of the swamp, 

 teetering their bodies from time to time. Of course 

 the familiar Chestnut-sided Warblers, they that disport 

 the brown side-stripes, were abundant all along the 

 road, as were Redstarts, Parulas, Yellow Warblers, 

 Black-throated Greens and Myrtles. Up from the 

 road, in a patch of chestnut scrub part way up the 

 hillside, we heard the versatile Yellow-breasted Chat 

 pouring forth his medley, and presently saw him 



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