202 BIRCH BROWSINGS. 



tinuous succession of brief falls like so many steps 

 down the mountain. Its appearance promised more 

 trout than I found, though I returned to camp with a 

 very respectable string. 



Toward sunset I went round to explore the inlet, 

 ani found that as usual the stream wound leisurely 

 through marshy ground. The water being much 

 colder than in the outlet, the trout were more plenti- 

 ful. As I was picking my way over the miry ground 

 and through the rank growths, a ruffed grouse hopped 

 up on a fallen branch a few paces before me, and, 

 jerking his tail, threatened to take flight. But as I 

 was at that moment gunless and remained stationary, 

 he presently jumped down and walked away. 



A seeker of birds, and ever on the alert for some 

 new acquaintance, my attention was arrested, on first 

 entering the swamp, by a bright, lively song, or war- 

 ble, that issued from the branches overhead, and that 

 was entirely new to me, though there was something 

 m the tone of it that told me the bird was related to 

 the wood-wagtail and to the water- wagtail or thrush. 

 The strain was emphatic and quite loud, like the 

 canary's, but very brief. The bird kept itself well 

 secreted in the upper branches of the trees and for a 

 *ong time eluded my eye. I passed to and fro sev- 

 eral times, and it seemed to break out afresh as I ap- 

 proached a certain little bend in the creek, and to 

 cease after I had got beyond it ; no doubt its nest 

 was somewhere in the vicinity. After some delaj 

 the bird was sighted and brought down. It proved 



