DECEMBER. 345 



tumbler with pure water, and putting therein a few water- 

 insects, or any substances that would float just beneath the 

 surface : a globe containing gold fish is a good illustration, 

 and the illusion caused by the fish's occasionally coming up 

 and meeting its image has a pretty appearance. Of course, 

 the observer must look through the side of the glass, obliquely 

 up to the surface. 



C — Yonder are two little birds singing on a cherry 

 tree. 



F, — Their song and their colours show that they are 

 Yellowbirds (Fringilla TristisJ, but in their sober winter 

 plumage. It is very late for these birds to be here ; I should 

 think they would hardly retire at all, since they have de- 

 ferred it so long. — The Canada Jay f Corvus Canadensis) 

 is quite numerous now : it appears with us about the middle 

 of October, hopping about in fields and pastures, and at the 

 margins of woods. Wilson appears to have had a very slight 

 acquaintance with this species ; it is by no means a bird of 

 solitary habits, almost always appearing in parties of three 

 or four : neither does it, with us, confine itself to " unfre- 

 quented shaded retreats," as his informant reports, but, on 

 the contrary, seems to be a saucy, familiar, fearless bird, 

 often coming about the house, and playing about till one gets 

 very near it. In Newfoundland, where they are com- 

 mon, they live in the woods, but are very often found in the 

 paths, feeding on the crumbs of bread, droppings, &c. which 

 are met with in frequented places. A winter or two ago, 

 there were several Canada jays that used to come and play 

 about some fir trees on the banks of the Masuippi, close to 

 a village school, unterrified by the uproar of the boisterous 

 boys. I observed a party of them a few days ago, around 



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