56 



THE OSPREY. 



watch this gradual transformation of day to 

 eve, to twilight, and du.sk t" night, each scene 

 bringing with it its own events. The little frog 

 who has occasionally during the day announced 

 his presence by rapping his shingles together, 

 with a vigorous whack, whack, whack, whack, 

 whack, (fur indeed there is no sound to which his 

 note might be more properly likened than the fi >r- 

 cible rapping together of two shingles, i lias now 

 grown quite vociferous. For a liltle while the 

 Chimney-swifts mingle with the bats in their 

 common pursuit; then the large Dragon Hies 

 (Epiaeschna heros Fabr. ) which have been 

 whirring- up and down the ditch all day come 

 in to roost beneath the house or underneath its 

 projecting- eaves; the Woodcock seeks her favo- 



every leaflet is steeped in dew in early morning, 

 and dense fog envelopes everything", render- 

 ing the fragrant atmosphere most pleasantly 

 cool. Breakfast over, I took a stroll along the 

 path leading into deep woods back of the house. 

 (In our former visit we had paid Joshua to cut 

 this path through the jungle that we might the 

 more easily pursue our way. For some reason 

 he seemed to have taken a fancy to it himself, 

 and to have kept it in repair. A brilliant Red- 

 start Hashed his colors and was skipping about 

 the lower vegetation adjoining the building. 

 Maryland Yellow-throats scolded as they moved 

 through the moist tangle. Both were busily in- 

 tent upon procuring f 1 for their young. After 



passing some fifty yards back of the house into 









NESTING CAVITIE 



rite bog, and the graceful Great Blue Heron 

 sails quietly to his stamping grounds, for such 

 I took the promontory at the junction of the 

 lake and ditch to be: judging- from the number 

 of visiting cards he had deposited there. No 

 doubt he comes here to join the frogs in their 

 chorus and note the doings of Uncle Joshua, 

 but he decidedly declined an interview which 

 Mr. Palmer planned a little later. 



As dusk deepens to darkness, and the starry 

 orbs one by one appear until their lull count 

 has answered to the call of roll, countless tire- 

 flies flash their brilliant torches midst the deep 

 shadows of the woods, until one might well be- 

 lieve himself transported to a fairy-land where 

 Nymph and Dryads are at play. One's voice 

 gradually sinks midst scenes like these until it is 

 lost, and you gaze in silent admiration, and 

 listen to the sounds all atune to-night; peace- 

 fully calm and contentedly happy, you dream, 

 and as the hours pass, you pei iple the scenes and 

 would scarcely be suprised if the Lady of tin- 

 Lake herself would appear "paddling her white 

 canoe." 



We were astir early the next morning-, and had 

 visited our traps and counted our night's catch 

 of small mammalia, consisting chiefly of Pero- 

 myscus leucopus and P. nuttalli, long before the 

 sun appeared upon the scene. In the swamp 



I UK PRl i Tin >Ni iTAKV \\ ARBLER. 



tlie timber, to where the undergrowth appears 

 as a dense tangle of briars, cane and ferns. I 

 stopped and squeaked: just one note, reminding 

 me of that of the Water-thrush, followed by a 

 swift swish of the wing, and a Swainson's 

 Warbler sat perched upon a slender twig- not 

 live feet from me. We gazed at each other for 

 a moment: then he departed as suddenly as lie 

 had come. His position, manner of flight and 

 attitude reminded me strongly of that of the 

 lesser thrushes. This and another equally 

 close and short glimpse were all that I 

 managed to see of Swainson's Warbler on this 

 trip. Tile bird is very shy and seclusive, and 

 though I visited the locality again and again, 

 and squeaked my most seductive squeak till my 

 throat was hoarse and sore, I failed to call him 

 from his hiding. I knew lie was present, for his 

 sweet clear burst of melody, pure as that of the 

 Water-thrush, but sweeter far in theme and ex- 

 ecution, came to us now and then from his favo- 

 rite place of hiding. We added but a single 

 specimen oi this Warbler on this trip, one that 

 Mr. Palmer pursuaded to come to the edge of 

 tlie thicket bordering a boggy road, several 

 miles from the place where I had observed my 

 bird. 



( To be Continued,) 



