176 BEACH GRASS 



late May. I awoke in the morning to find a 

 Maryland yellow-throat in the plumage of the 

 female flying distractedly about the lean-to try- 

 ing to get out, fanning my face at times with its 

 wings, and at times alighting on my pillow. It 

 had come in through the opening between the two 

 netting curtains at the entrance. As it could not 

 find its way out I reached over and pulled the 

 curtains apart, with the result of causing it still 

 greater fright but allowing it to escape. It flew 

 a few yards to a perch and at once, to my great 

 surprise, poured forth a song which could be 

 recognized as the "witchery" song of the male, 

 but much abbreviated and inferior in tone and 

 volume. It is possible that the bird was a young 

 male of the previous year, that, through some re- 

 tardation in development, had not yet assumed 

 the full nuptial dress of the adult male, nor the 

 full courtship voice, or it may have been, as it 

 appeared, a female, and, under the intense stress 

 of captivity and escape, had been wrought up to 

 the pitch of song. 



One day in winter I found a handsome cock 

 pheasant safely sheltered in the lean-to. As 



