342 AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



the great flocks of sou'-sou'-southerlies, sounding across 

 the steel-gray, wintry waves, is well known to all who 

 sail the waters of the Sound. 



Neither the birds nor the flowers are as numerous on 

 Long Island, or at any rate in my neighborhood, as they 

 are, for instance, along the Hudson and near Washing- 

 ton. It is hard to say exactly why flowers and birds are 

 at times so local in their distribution. For instance, the 

 bobolinks hardly ever come around us at Sagamore Hill. 

 Within a radius of three or four miles of the house I do 

 not remember to have ever seen more than two or three 

 couples breeding. Sharp-tailed finches are common in 

 the marsh which lies back of our beach; but the closely 

 allied seaside finches and the interesting and attractive 

 little marsh wrens, both of which are common in vari- 

 ous parts of Long Island, are not found near our home. 

 Similarly, I know of but one place near our house where 

 the bloodroot grows; the may-flowers are plentiful, but 

 among hillsides to all appearance equally favored, are 

 found on some, and not on others. For wealth of bloom, 

 aside from the orchards, we must rely chiefly upon the 

 great masses of laurel and the many groves of locusts. 

 The bloom of the locust is as evanescent as it is fragrant. 

 During the short time that the trees are in flower the 

 whole air is heavy with the sweet scent. In the fall, in 

 the days of the aster and the golden-rod, there is no 

 such brilliant coloring on Long Island as farther north, 

 for we miss from among the forest hues the flaming 

 crimsons and scarlets of the northern maples. 



Among Long Island singers the wood-thrushes are 



