IN THE DUNES 21 



such a person, directly in their field of vision so 

 that they actually see it and can not help them- 

 selves, and they report they have seen "a most 

 extraordinary bird, doubtless a waif blown from 

 the tropics." As to the call notes and song of 

 warblers, they are as if they did not exist to such 

 a person. Even if he is silent and does not 

 drown out the bird voices by his own, his audi- 

 tory apparatus appears to be insensible to the 

 notes of warblers and of nearly all other birds. 

 However, he does not realize his loss. 



In the group of thrushes, four representatives 

 were present in this oasis, namely the robin 

 and veery and olive-backed and gray-cheeked 

 thrushes. The last named bird looked so small 

 I am inclined to think it was a Bicknell's rather 

 than an Alice's thrush. These two birds are 

 alike in plumage with gray cheeks, but the Bick- 

 nell's is a little bit smaller. 



A solitary vireo with his dark, slate-blue head 

 and his white eye-rings appeared at close range. 

 In the sparrow family, juncos with their twitter- 

 ing notes and flashing white tail feathers were 

 most in evidence. The whistling call of the 



