THE HOODED WAKBLER. 191 
you cannot handle it, but infinitely more so in that its beauty takes a thousand 
forms, a fresh one for every turn of fancy that may stir an avian breast. 
The further charm of comparative rarity is added to this exquisite crea- 
tion, so that not a few of us count upon our fingers the occasions upon which 
we have been granted a sight of it. To me the bird first came as a voice, 
a sweet and pure but altogether puzzling sound, tossed down from a tree- 
top on a foggy morning, an hour before dawn. The bird was at an unheard- 
of distance from his chosen range, so when the sun dissolved the mist and 
disclosed the 
singer, sitting 
quietly, and 
piping in ac- 
cents uncon- 
strained, it 
seemed to us as 
tho we had 
caught a fairy 
overstaying his 
time limit. 
The Hooded 
Warbler shows 
a decided pref- 
CimEiMCS Woes 
damp woods 
where there is 
plenty of un- 
dergrowth. 
Beech woods 
are favorite 
places if the 
other condi- 
tions are suit- 
able. Here the 
birds spend 
their time fly- 
catching along 
the middle lev- 
els, or descend 
to search the 
brush. The 
tail is some- 
times carried 
Taken near Sugar Grove. Photo by the Author. 
SLEEPING BEAUTIES. 
