250 SINGING BIRDS. 



he seldom ascends above the tops of the underwood, where he 

 dwells, busily employed in collecting the insects on which he 

 feeds. After these, like the Wren, he darts into the deepest 

 thicket, and threads his devious way through every opening ; 

 he searches around the stems, examines beneath the leaves, 

 and raising himself on his peculiarly pale and slender legs, 

 peeps into each crevice in order to seize by surprise his tiny 

 lurking prey. While thus engaged, his affection to his neigh- 

 boring mate is not forgotten, and with a simplicity, agreeable 

 and characteristic, he twitters forth at short intervals his 

 ^whifitetee 'whititetee 'whititetce, but his more common song is 

 'whittKshee \vhitittshce, or 'ivetitshee wctitshee wee ; and some- 

 times I have heard his note like, 'wetitshee wetitshee, 'wifyu 

 we. On this last syllable a plaintive sinking of the voice ren- 

 ders the lively, earnest ditty of the active minstrel peculiarly 

 agreeable. Copying apparently from the Cardinal Bird, the 

 song was, in one instance, which came to my notice, 'vifiyu 

 ''vifiyu ^vifiyii. The whole is likevvise often varied and lowered 

 into a slender whisper, or tender revery of vocal instinct. 

 Sometimes he calls out, teetshoo, teetshoo, and sewaidedit 

 sewaidedit sewaiditsewee, or sewaididit sewaiditsiwee, as he 

 busily darts through the blooming and odor-breathing shrubs 

 of the grove or garden, which he examines with minute atten- 

 tion, and sometimes springs perpendicularly after his retreating 

 and discovered prey. He appears by no means shy or sus- 

 picious, as long as his nest is unapproached ; but for the safety 

 of that precious treasure he scolds, laments, and entreats with 

 great anxiety. 



The species generally nest in the recluse thickets of the 

 forest, or the low bushy meadow ; but sometimes they take up 

 their abode in the garden, or the field contiguous to the house, 

 and if undisturbed, show a predilection for the place which 

 has afforded security to themselves and their young. They 

 commence their labor of building about the middle of May, 

 fixing the nest on or near the ground, among dry leaves, 

 withered grass, or brush, and choose often for security the most 

 intricate thicket of briers, so that the nest is often sheltered 



