222 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XVI. 



numerous about the first week in May, and the 

 landrail's call is heard from every patch of clover. 

 The movements of the landrail are very peculiar 

 and amusing: at one moment threading the clover 

 with its head bent to the ground, and looking more 

 like a weasel than a bird ; the next, standing per- 

 fectly erect, and uttering its hoarse cry with a voice 

 of brass. I saw one to-day standing upright be- 

 tween the legs of a cow, and crying boldly, as if 

 perfectly aware that the cow was not an enemy. 



Whilst fishing in the upper part of the river I 

 saw numbers of crossbills and siskins in the beauti- 

 ful woods of Dulsie. The nests of these two birds 

 are scarcely ever found, although they certainly 

 breed plentifully in this country. The siskin con- 

 ceals its small nest with great care at some distance 

 from the ground, generally near the summit of a 

 spruce fir; while the crossbill places its nest, which 

 it assimilates as much as possible to the colour 

 and texture of the moss, on some good-sized hori- 

 zontal branch of a fir-tree, so that it is nearly 

 invisible from below. 



When the season is late the fish are also late in 

 taking the fly. The natural fly does not come to 

 maturity this year as early as usual, in consequence 

 of the herbage not having come up ; and the want 

 of flies on the water keeps the fish from coming 



