OUR WINTER BIRDS. mo3 
among the heights of the upper Delaware River, whither 
they go to nest, the majority, nevertheless, passing to Can- 
ada for that purpose. 
There is a winter wren also, but, although considerably. 
smaller, it is frequently mistaken for the inquisitive and 
saucy house-wren, which fled south in October. It is a 
species heard rather than seen, evading observation in the 
dense brush, through which it moves more like a mouse 
than a bird. Its prolonged and startling bugle-song is a 
wonder, and its whole history is charming, but I must pass 
it by. If you wish to become acquainted with him (and 
several of his midwinter associates) in more genial days, 
you have only to go to the depths of the Catskills or Adi- 
rondacks, where he spends his summer. 
The family of sparrows, finches, and buntings—the Frin- 
gillide—supples more of the winter woodland birds than 
any other single group, the list of those regularly present 
in January including the pine-grossbeak, the red and the 
white-winged crossbills, the two red-poll linnets, the pine, 
grass, and gold finches, the song, tree, and English sparrows, 
besides an occasional straggler like the purple finch, eardi- 
nal, and white-throat. The first five mentioned are polar 
bred, and return to their native heaths at the earliest in- 
timation of spring. The pine-grossbeak is a big, clumsy- 
