FOUR RED BIRDS. 129 



ing. Fortunately, the winter of '83-84 was suited to 

 their fancy, and they appeared in considerable num- 

 bers. Wherever there were clusters of pines or cedars, 

 these birds were a marked feature of our avifauna, 

 from December 29 to March 2 ; about wliich time they 

 left us. At least, I saw none after the later date men- 

 tioned. 



I am forced to admit that, although comparative 

 strangers, these grosbeaks were not particularly inter- 

 esting. They never sang and seldom chirped. They 

 were always in companies of three to six, and wandered 

 but little. Even in bright, clear days, they stuck as 

 closely to the evergreens as do butterflies to flowers. 

 A very depressing regret that they had wandered so 

 far from Canada seemed to possess them. 



During a roundabout ramble, after a deep snow, I 

 chanced, last winter, on a clump of cedars, on my neigh- 

 bor's hill-side, and 



" I tarried a bit, 



As a crested tit, 

 Whistled his call so cheery, 



It seemed a tune 



In leafy June 

 Sung by a nesting veery. " 



I never saw so many birds congregated in a few trees, 

 except when flocks of red-wings gather in the meadows. 

 Sparrows and titmice; linnets, nuthatches and king- 

 lets ; all, without discord, twittered, chirped, flitted and 

 hopped through the maze of interlocking branches. I 

 was puzzled to identify one harsh tship ! which I occa- 

 sionally heard, and to unravel the mystery I snow- 



6* 



