PEPACTON : A SUMMER VOYAGE. 25 



ear was especially attracted to some striking and orig- 

 inal sparrow songs. At one point I was half afraid 

 I had let pass an opportunity to identify a new war- 

 bler, but finally concluded it was a song-sparrow. 

 On another occasion I used to hear day after day a 

 sparrow that appeared to have some organic defect 

 in its voice : part of its song was scarcely above a 

 whisper, as if the bird was suffering from a very bad 

 cold. I have heard a bobolink and a hermit thrush 

 with similar defects of voice. I have heard a robin 

 with a part of the whistle of the quail in his song. 

 It was out of time and out of tune, but the robin 

 seemed insensible of the incongruity, and sang as 

 loudly and as joyously as any of his mates. A cat- 

 bird will sometimes show a special genius for mim- 

 icry, and I have known one to suggest very plainly 

 some notes of the bobolink. 



There are numerous long covered bridges spanning 

 the Delaware, and under some of these I saw the 

 cliff-swallow at home, the nests being fastened to the 

 under sides of the timbers, as it were, suspended 

 from the ceiling instead of being planted upon the 

 shelving or perpendicular side, as is usual with them. 

 To have laid the foundation, indeed, to have sprung 

 the vault downward and finished it successfully, must 

 have acquired special engineering skill. I had never 

 before seen or heard of these nests being so placed. 

 But birds are quick to adjust their needs to the exi- 

 gencies of any case. Not long before I had seen in 

 4 deserted house, on the head of the Rondout, tin 



