JOURNAL OK MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 47 



the woods adjoining. I was quite surprised to hear it sing in a 

 swamp beside the Beechland schoolhouse. About two acres of alder 

 swamp and open mixed growth surround the schoolhouse. The 

 children play in these woods, and vehicles constantly traverse the 

 street that borders the swamp. In all other cases the birds seemed 

 to avoid civilization. 



June 20, when walking carefully on the side of the lot farthest 

 from the swamp, I heard something like a mouse or a large moth 

 moving over the dry leaves under some young firs, booking sharply, 

 I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a greenish-yellow, young 

 bird — so young that its legs could not support it — flying over the 

 leaves by the aid of its spread wings and tail. I concluded it was 

 one of the common Nashville Warblers and was tempted to give it 

 no further thought. Something impelled me to look more carefully. 

 I hastened around the firs to intercept the weak, inexperienced little 

 bird, and was really startled to find no trace of any bird anywhere 

 around. In the trees a short distance away were two fine specimens 

 of the Canada Warbler, but they were feeding leisurely and appar- 

 ently unaware of my presence. Utterly nonplussed, I went back as 

 nearly as possible to the point where I heard the sound and went 

 over the ground cautiously on my hands and knees. I saw no nest. 

 The ground was bare, the growth open. An examination of the 

 roots of the trees revealed nothing. It seemed impossible for a bird 

 to conceal a nest in this spot. Puzzled, I sat down some distance 

 away and watched. Before long the female Canada Warbler came 

 and caught insects from various perches near where I first noticed 

 the bird. At this time I could see the bird was watching me quite 

 as closely as the insects on which she feasted. I moved again, con- 

 cealing myself as nearly as could be behind a stump. After ten or 

 fifteen minutes the bird zig-zagged from the higher branches to the 

 lower and was lost on the ground. Waiting a few instants for the 

 bird to get well settled, I returned to the 'spot where the bird was 

 lost to view and flushed her from the nest. She flew silently from 

 the nest, then rustled away over the leaves as before. I had over- 

 looked a rare bird's nest in spite of all my care. The nest was rather 



