14 IN THE FLAT-WOODS. 
a pine-wood sparrow ; but such things are not 
to be taken for granted. Once or twice, in- 
deed, the thought of some unfamiliar warbler 
had crossed my mind. At last, therefore, as 
the singer still kept out of sight, I leaped the 
ditch and pushed into the serub. Happily I 
had not far to go; he had been much nearer 
than I thought. A small bird flew up before 
me, and dropped almost immediately into a 
clump of palmetto. I edged toward the spot 
and waited. Then the song began again, 
this time directly in front of me, but still far- 
away-sounding and dreamy. I find that last 
word in my hasty note penciled at the time, 
and can think of no other that expresses the 
effect half so well. I looked and looked, and 
all at once there sat the bird on a palmetto 
leaf. Once again he sang, putting up his 
head. Then he dropped out of sight, and I 
heard nothing more. I had seen only his 
head and neck, — enough to show hima spar- 
row, and almost of necessity the pine-wood 
sparrow. No other strange member of the 
finch family was to be looked for in such a 
place. 
On further acquaintance, let me say at 
once, Pucea westivalis proved to be a more 
