February 
vigorous, while many of the largest are the 
most delicate. The most conspicuous differ- 
ence between the two groups is in the generally 
neutral coloring of winter birds, and the more 
brilliant plumage of the summer species. Black 
and white and brown are prevalent in winter ; 
yellow, red, blue, and crimson are frequent in 
summer. 
It remains to speak of the third group, which, 
in the latitude of New York, is perhaps as large 
as the summer group, comprising all of the least 
known, but many of the most interesting and 
beautiful species, resident here neither in sum- 
mer nor winter, and strictly ‘‘ transients.’’ 
They are such as go to greater extremes in their 
semi-annual migration than any of the foregoing. 
Summering in northern New England, Cana- 
da, Labrador, and even in the Arctic regions, 
like the fox sparrow and many other finches, 
some of the thrushes, but especially the warblers, 
they do not find our climate congenial, nor 
agreeable food-supplies for the winter months, 
and their fall migrations carry them farther 
south, even as far sometimes as Mexico and 
Central America. As a consequence we are 
able to see them only in their passage to and 
fro. And practically our observation of many 
5 
o>) 
