138 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 



Mr. Bicknell speaks only of the two songs, but 

 I have heard the two combined. The outbreak 

 of high, rapid, confused notes being interlarded 

 with the low-pitched conversational trilling teach! - 

 er, teach'er. By increasing the confusion, this 

 adds greatly to the effect of excitement spoken of 

 by Mr. Bicknell. Though most common at even- 

 ing or in the night, I have frequently heard this 

 medley in both morning and afternoon. The 

 rhythm and volume of this interesting song in its 

 simplest form may be suggested by the syllables 

 whee'he, whee'he, whee'ha, he' he' ha, increasing 

 in volume toward the middle, and unlike the or- 

 dinary trill, diminishing in intensity again at the 

 close. 



XXXIX. 



JUNCO; SLATE-COLORED SNOWBIRD. 



EARLY in September you may have found the 

 j uncos, companies of little gray-robed monks and 

 nuns, just emerging from the forests where they 

 cloister during the summer months. Most of 

 them nest well to the north, but still there are 

 many that content themselves with the cool moun- 

 tain ranges of the Alleghanies. 



If they build in your locality, as they do here, 

 their habits, like those of the chickadee, are 

 greatly changed in summer, and you will take 

 more than one casual walk through the woods be- 



