100 ADIRONDAC. 



By the lake, I met that orchard-beauty, the cedar 

 wax-wing, spending his vacation in the assumed char- 

 acter of a fly-catcher, whose part he performed with 

 great accuracy and deliberation. Only a month be- 

 fore I had seen him regaling himself upon cherries in 

 the garden and orchard, but as the dog-days ap- 

 proached, he set out for the streams and lakes, to di- 

 vert himself with the more exciting pursuits of the 

 chase. From the tops of the dead trees along the 

 border of the lake, he would sally out in all directions, 

 sweeping through long curves, alternately mounting 

 and descending, now reaching up for a fly high in ail , 

 now sinking low for one near the surface, and return- 

 ing to his perch in a few moments for a fresh start. 



The pine finch was also here, though, as usual, 

 never appearing at home, but with a waiting, expect- 

 ant air. Here also I met my beautiful singer, the 

 hermit-thrush, but with no song in his throat now. A 

 week or two later and he was on his journey south- 

 ward. This was the only species of thrush I saw in 

 the Adirondac. Near Lake Sandford, where were 

 large tracts of raspberry and wild cherry, I saw num- 

 bers of them. A boy whom we met, driving home 

 some stray cows, said it was the " partridge-bird," no 

 doubt from the resemblance of its note, when dis- 

 turbed, to the cluck of the partridge. 



Nate's Pond contained perch and sun-fish but no 

 trout. Its water was not pure enough for trout. Was 

 ihere ever any other fish so fastidious as this, requir- 

 ing such sweet harmony and perfection of the ele- 



