142 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 



they adopt the tints of the vireos, though they are 

 as little like them as the fluffy chickadee is like 

 the waxwing in build or temperament. The vireos 

 walk sedately down the length of a branch, calmly 

 turning their heads on one side to peer under the 

 leaves for their measure-worm ; but the kinglets ! 



clambering up a limb, turning from one side 

 to the other, with one big eye always close to the 

 bark staring for insects ; fluttering under a twig 

 like a humming-bird, and then catching hold up- 

 side down to pick off an insect ; flitting about 

 from branch to branch; stopping a moment to 

 eye me inquisitively, and then hurrying on with 

 their work the restless pigmies seemed most 

 unvireo like. 



At the end of two weeks I had seen no kinglet 

 crown of any kind. But one day I had a surprise. 

 Hearing a faint note from a Norway spruce I 

 looked up and saw a kinglet, but what was it ? 

 Instead of being one of my gnomes, he was the 

 most human, every -day sort of a bird, with a 

 naive interrogative air that might have argued 

 him an American. Then his tiny, stubby bill 

 stuck out from his big head with such a pert, 

 business-like air it gave my idea of kinglets an- 

 other shock. What was he ? Could I have been 

 wholly mistaken ? Was my elf no kinglet at all 



was this the kinglet ? Such a crown ! I had 

 comforted myself for my gnome's lack of crown 

 by thinking that it was concealed like the king- 



