April 
goldfinch would be a ‘‘shining mark’’ for its 
enemies in the leafless publicity of a winter 
landscape, were it not for the substitution of a 
quiet suit of brown for its brilliant summer 
dress. 
April is the first great harvest month for the 
ornithologist. The winter species are still 
loath to leave, and the summer residents and 
migrants are coming in considerable numbers. 
The golden-winged woodpeckers are becoming 
quite numerous, and during the first week the 
golden-crowned kinglets, which seemed to be 
entirely absent for several weeks, returned in 
great force, having probably been driven south- 
ward by the intense cold. The brown creeper, 
which seems at first to have no affiliations 
among its kind, and to do business entirely on 
its own account, but which I have commonly 
found to be within hailing distance of kinglets 
or chickadees, also left this region just as sud- 
denly as the gold-crests about the middle of 
' January, and reappeared the very same day in 
April, and almost within stone’s throw, which 
indicates that, although they are not garrulous 
friends, there is a very tacit understanding be- 
tween them. 
Amid the singing (or attempts to sing) of 
IoI 
