7*2 JOIIRNAI. OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL vSOCIETY. 



would almost warrant the assumption that the very same individual 

 birds had returned to their summer homes. I have observed pairs 

 of these birds which had seemingly appeared over night in their 

 well-known homes of the previous year. They would hang around 

 for a few days, and by May 15th to 20th begin nest building. Other 

 individual males who arrived with the moving throngs evidently 

 were seeking mates, for they made advances to the female contin- 

 gent, hopping from twig to twig with outspread wings, chipping 

 and fluttering, now repulsed by the fair one, and now accepted by 

 another one to whom advances were made, to finally spend a few 

 days in a favorable spot and begin nest Iniilding at a later date than 

 others of their kind, who were apparently old married folks. In 

 spring and fall the call note is a "chip" or a "check," uttered some- 

 times on the wing, but more often while busily engaged in seeking 

 for insects from twig to twig. But about the time nest building 

 begins the male perches near the top of some small evergreen tree 

 and utters a pleasing song, consisting of a succession of some twelve 

 to fifteen clear and musically warbled notes. The song is very dis- 

 tinct and characteristic of the species, though at least occasionally 

 another different but still characteristic song, a soft, low warble, is 

 heard. 



During migration the species may be found in the trees of the 

 city streets, in gardens, on the roofs of houses, and along highways 

 and through the woods, hopping from place to place. As soon as 

 nest building begins, the favorite locality selected is a thicket of 

 evergreen trees near the highway, some open pasture containing a 

 few clumps of scattered evergreens, small thickets of evergreens 

 along the banks of some stream or river or about the shore of a pond 

 or lake, or a row of trees about some country dwelling or in an 

 orchard. In the vast majority of cases an evergreen tree is selected 

 as a nesting site, though occasionally some hardwood tree, such as 

 maple, apple or birch, may be taken. A majority of nests seem to 

 be placed in cedar trees, with fir and spruce following as close sec- 

 ond choices. The nest may be placed against the trunk, supported 

 on some small branch extending therefrom, or in a fork made by 



