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ACTIVE GLEANERS 



Advancing summer brings a period of silence in the 

 Bird world. The happy notes of the Song Sparrow 

 still enliven the woods* The vigorous but less 

 melodious call of the Yellow Warbler is still heard, 

 and a few other perpetual singers keep the spirit alive • 

 But in contrast with the chorus of early spring 

 the woods are silent, relieved mainly by the dis- 

 tressed calling of hungry fledglings, impatient at 

 the delay of their tired parents in distributing food* 

 Young birds that have left the nest but are still in a 

 dependent position are a serious problem to parents, 

 struggling energetically to keep all wants supplied 

 and silence all turbulent outcries ♦ The quiet of the 

 season affords an opportunity to watch the ceaseless 

 activity of the little gleaners. The Warblers in bright 

 and varied colours are skimming about over leaves 

 and twigs, picking off every insect that has found 

 a lodgment there. The Yellow Warbler is perhaps 

 the most industrious and most familiar, although his 

 fondness for the close-leaved tops of trees, where the 

 sun strengthens the yellow tints of the green, often 

 shields him from observation. He is revealed by 



