14 IN THE FLAT-WOODS. 



a pine-wood sparrow ; but such things are not 

 to be taken for granted. Once or twice, in- 

 deed, the thought of some unfamiliar warbler 

 had crossed my mind. At last, therefore, as 

 the singer still kept out of sight, I leaped the 

 ditch and pushed into the scrub. Happily I 

 had not far to go ; he had been much nearer 

 than I thought. A small bird flew up before 

 me, and dropped almost immediately into a 

 clump of palmetto. I edged toward the spot 

 and waited. Then the song began again, 

 this time directly in front of me, but still far- 

 away-sounding and dreamy. I find that last 

 word in my hasty note penciled at the time, 

 and can think of no other that expresses the 

 effect half so well. I looked and looked, and 

 all at once there sat the bird on a palmetto 

 leaf. Once again he sang, putting up his 

 head. Then he dropped out of sight, and I 

 heard nothing more. I had seen only his 

 head and neck, enough to show him a spar- 

 row, and almost of necessity the pine-wood 

 sparrow. No other strange member of the 

 finch family was to be looked for in such a 

 place. 



On further acquaintance, let me say at 

 once, Puccea cestivalis proved to be a more 



