A TINY TILTER. 119 



habited that we must employ the imagination to 

 make them inviting. Just look at the army of 

 warblers and kinglets, real jewels in feathers, 

 bright-hued blossoms of the bird world, more beau- 

 tiful than anything the fancy could conjure up, be 

 it never so inventive. It is not of the warblers 

 and kinglets, however, that I wish to tell you, but 

 of another little bird — a genuine Tom Thumb in 

 plumes — the blue-gray gnat-catcher. He is a 

 trifle larger than the ruby-throated humming-bird, 

 and has a lithe, slender body, a long tail for so 

 small a bird, and a slim bill somewhat curved 

 toward the tip. Thus, you see, he is built after 

 the right pattern for playing pranks among the 

 branches of the trees and catching gnats and flies 

 on the wing. 



But let me describe his markings, so that you 

 may be able to identify him the next time you 

 take a stroll to the woods, if you happen to meet 

 him. Unlike the kinglets, which belong to the 

 same family, he has no flashy colors in his toilet, 

 for he does not believe in wearing jewelry. A 

 clear grayish blue colors the upper parts, becoming 

 deeper blue on the top of the head and paler on 

 the rump. If you look at him sharply, you will 

 see a narrow black band extending across his fore- 



