JOURNAL OP MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 4I 



uiicominon, the vicinity of the swamps being most frequented by 

 these birds, 011 account of the abundance of insects in the warm, 

 damp air. Chimney Swifts are now here in great numbers, being 

 seen everywhere throughout this part of the State, so that there 

 must be many thousands of them within a radius of fifty miles. 

 Northern Vellowthroats and Ovenbirds are distributed so profusely 

 that one cannot find a piece of woods without its Ovenbird song, 

 or a roadside where the "witchety, witchet}" of the Yellowthroat 

 is not the most insistent bird note. Yellow Warblers are very 

 plentiful this year, being welcome always on account of their 

 beauty and the confidence they show in building their nests right 

 under the windows of dwelling houses. In the bushes bordering 

 a swamp I heard the call of the Veery and stopped to see if the 

 bird was in sight. In the space of a minute or two he came out 

 into view and grew quite curious as to what I might chance to 

 want near his dwelling place. The Veery is getting to be quite 

 common now and can be heard every morning from almost any 

 section of damp woods. The bird has a way of waiting until an 

 intruder is near and then uttering his call note so sharply and 

 loudly that it is startling. 



May 24. — A heavy fog, preceding sunshine and clear sky, 

 made the walking exceedingly wet, but birds proved to be in the 

 Cape woods and fields in greater variety than at any time before 

 this season. During the morning hours fourteen species of War- 

 blers, all the conunon Flycatchers, four Hawks, five Thrushes, 

 and a great variety of other birds were seen, fifty-four species be- 

 ing observed during the day. The great majority of these birds 

 are summer residents, but a few species which were here in con- 

 siderable numbers, have not yet finished their migration journey. 

 Canadian Warblers and Black-poll Warblers were very abundant, 

 and neither of these birds stays here to nest, except quite rarely. 

 One Olive-backed Thrush was seen, which shows that not all of 

 these birds have yet gone to summer nesting grounds. The Red- 

 eyed Vireo was today observed for the first time this year, though 



