286 KUllTIl AMERICAN lilK'DS. 



of spring in siuli localities. In nutcs, as well as in manners, Mr. Iiidgway 

 lias noticed little dillerence between this si)ecies and *S'. luihciviuuHs. The 

 song, however, is decidedly weaker, tJKjngh scarcely less sweet, and the two 

 are verv easily distinLiuished at siirht bv one familiar with them. 



These birds breed, though they are not very ai)undant, in the vicinity of 

 Calais, and also in the western part of Maine. Professor Verrill states that 

 they reached the neigid)orhood of Norway, Me., about the first of May, a fort- 

 night earlier than Mr. Allen noted their arrival in Si)riu'jHeld. Mr. Verrill 

 demonstrated the fact of their breeding in Western Elaine, by tinding, June 8, 

 1801, a nest and eggs in a dense cedar swamp near Norway. This was built 

 in an excavation in the side of a decayed moss-covered log, the excavation 

 itself forming an arch over the nest in the manner of, yet ditlerent from, 

 that of the Golden-crowned. The nest it.self was an exceeding beautiful 

 structure, lour and a half inches in diameter, but only an inch and a half in 

 depth, being very nearly Hat, the cavity only half an inch deep. The entire 

 base was made of loose hypnum mosses, interspersed with a few dead leaves 

 and stems. The whole iimer structure or lining was made up of the fiuit- 

 stems of the same mo.ss, densely imjjacted. The outer circumference was 

 made up of mosses and intertwined small black vegetable roots. 



This nest contained five eggs, the brilliant white ground of which, with 

 their delicately shaded spots of reddish-brown, contrasted with the bright 

 green of the mossy exterior, and set off to advantage by the conspicuous and 

 uid(iue lining, j)roduce a very beautiful eftect. 



Mr. George A. Boardman of Calais, ^le., an observing and accurate natu- 

 ralist, has furnished me with the following interesting account of the habits 

 of this species and its congener, the auroenpillus, in a letter dated St. 

 Ste})hen, March L'^, 18G7. "Did you ever notice their walk on the ground i 

 You know that most of our birds are hoppers. These two, S. no echo rate us is 

 and aS*. ((urocapilfus, have a beautiful gliding walk, and of all our other birds 

 1 only remember two that are not hoppers, the Authiis ladorlciauus and 

 Moluthrus pecoris. I do not think that a naturalist should ever say, as 

 "Wilson was constantly doing, that any bird has no note or song whatever, 

 unless he is well accjuainted ^^ ith them, at all times, especially while breed- 

 ing. Many birds seem really to have nothing to say except when mating. 

 I think that our little walker, the Water Thrush, has been particularly ill 

 used by writers in this respect, for I regard him as one of our liveliest sing- 

 ers. Its note is very high and clear, begins with a sudden outburst of melody, 

 so as almost to startle you, is very clear and ringing, as if the bird had just 

 found its mate after a long absence. It then keeps falling until you can 

 hardly hear it. Its note is very sweet, and can be heard when you are in a 

 canoe or boat a very long ways. Like most of our W^arblers and Thrushes, 

 when singing, they do not like intrusion, and it was a long while before I 

 could make out the bird that uttered these notes. I could only do it by 

 going in a boat or canoe. They liide in thick trees, over the water, where it 



