MYRTLE WAKBLER 353 



Oct. 19, 1856. See quite a flock of myrtle-birds, — 

 which I might carelessly have mistaken for slate-colored 

 snowbirds, — flitting about on the rocky hillside under 

 Conantum Clifif. They show about three white or light- 

 colored spots when they fly, commonly no bright yel- 

 low, though some are pretty bright. They perch on the 

 side of the dead mulleins, on rocks, on the ground, and 

 directly dart off, apparently in pursuit of some insect. 

 I hear no note from them. They are thus near or on 

 the ground, then, not as in spring. 



Oct. 21, 1857. I see many myrtle-birds now about the 

 house this forenoon, on the advent of cooler weather. 

 They keep flying up against the house and the window 

 and fluttering there, as if they would come in, or alight 

 on the wood-pile or pump. They would commonly be 

 mistaken for sparrows, but show more white when they fly, 

 beside the yellow on the rump and sides of breast seen 

 near to and two white bars on the wings. Chubby birds. 



PINE WARBLER 



April 23, 1852. I hear this morning, in the pine 

 woods above the railroad bridge, for the first time, 

 that delicious cool-sounding wetter-wetter-wetter-wetter- 

 wet' from that small bird (pine warbler?) in the tops 

 of the pines. I associate it with the cool^ moist., ever- 

 green spring woods. 



April 2, 1853. Heard and saw what I call the pine 

 warbler, — vetter vetter vetter vetter vet, — the cool 

 woodland sound. The first this year of the higher-col- 

 ored birds, after the bluebird and the blackbird's wing; 

 is it not ? It so affects me as something more tender. 



