ZERO BIRDS 29 



barren field full of grassy tussocks and clumps of 

 mockernut hickories and black- walnut trees, until 

 it at last lost itself in the depths of Blacksnake 

 Swamp. This swamp had taken its name from the 

 day that we caught a black snake skimming along 

 over the tops of the bushes like a bird. In summer 

 it is full of impassable quagmires, and to-day we 

 hoped to explore the hidden places which we had 

 never yet seen. We had scarcely passed through the 

 outer fringe of tall grasses and cat-tails, when we 

 heard everywhere through the cold air little tinkling 

 notes, and caught glimpses of dark sparrow-like birds 

 with forked tails, striped breasts, and streaked rich 

 brown backs, each one showing a fine zigzag whitish 

 line at the bend of the wing. Another field-mark 

 was a light patch over each eye, and we identified the 

 first and largest flock of pine siskin of the year. 

 These siskin are strange birds. One never knows 

 when and where they will appear. The last flock 

 that I had seen was in my back-yard in May. Usu- 

 ally too they are in trees, and this was the first time 

 that I had ever met with them on the ground. The 

 birds gave little canary-like notes, like goldfinches, 

 which are often found with them, but can always be 

 recognized by their unstreaked breasts and double 

 wing-bars. 



For a long time we studied the flock through our 

 field-glasses, until every last one of the Band had 

 learned this new bird. As we watched them, a 

 white- throated sparrow lisped from a nearby bush, 

 and a little later we met a flock of tree sparrows, a 



