AUGUST. 191 



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under our feet, astound our ears with their loud whirring 

 flight. 



Since the fading of the roses, the greater numbers of 

 the summer warblers have become -silent, as if the 

 presence of these lovely flowers was necessary to in 

 spire them with song. They have grown timid, and 

 have forsaken their usual habits ; no longer warbling at 

 the season's feast or rejoicing in the noonday of love. 

 They fly no longer in pairs, but assemble in flocks, 

 which may be seen rising and settling, at frequent inter 

 vals, over different parts of the landscape. Some species 

 are irregularly scattered, while others gather themselves 

 into large multitudinous flocks, and seem to be enjoy 

 ing a long holiday of social festivities, while preparing 

 to leave these northern latitudes. Their songs, lasting 

 only during the period of love, are discontinued since 

 their conjugal joys have ended, and the young birds are- 

 no longer under their care. On every new excursion? 

 into the woods, I perceive the sudden absence of some 

 important melodist of the woodland choir. During the- 

 interval between midsummer and early autumn, one 

 voice after another drops away, until the little song- 

 sparrow is left again, to warble alone in the fields and; 

 gardens, where he sung his earliest hymn of rejoicing- 

 over the departure of winter. 



Since the birds have become silent, they have lost 

 their pleasant familiarity with man, and have acquired an 

 unwonted shyness. The little warblers that were wont 

 to sing on the boughs, just over our heads, or at a short 

 distance from our path, now keep at a timid distance,, 

 chirping with a complaining voice, and flee from our ap 

 proach, before we are near enough to observe their 

 altered plumage. The plovers and the pewits have 

 come forth from the places where they reared their 



