WAITING FOR WARBLERS. 59 



black redstart will even put up with some gaudy 

 exotic vine on a trellis ; but just now we need not 

 concern ourselves about unfortunate people or waste 

 our time in pitying birds. Let us go to some sunny 

 slope where there are oaks that the squirrels planted, 

 or to some remnant of a woodland tract with only 

 native weeds dotting the leaf-mould, and here we 

 will find an excellent example of these wandering 

 wood-warblers, one with manners as pronounced as 

 the black and white of its plumage. It runs about 

 the trees with all the ease of a squirrel, and can 

 hang on to the slenderest twigs, head down, back 

 down, upside down, or down side up, with all the 

 agility of an acrobat ; and though it may be hungry 

 at the time and food abundant, it finds moments 

 wherein to lisp its trisyllabic expression of content. 

 In this sense it is a great singer, and not a silent 

 bird, from the beginning of May until September ; 

 and, further (what I have not seen stated in any 

 book), when it has a nest, there is frequently a con- 

 siderable variation in the ordinary tsee-tsee-tsee y these 

 notes being varied in expression to almost clear, 

 flute-like music, with a suspicion of a trill succeed- 

 ing them. 



This black-and-white tree-creeping warbler builds 

 a cup-shaped nest on the ground ; but, while it 

 chooses a comparatively safe place, the bird, by 

 its over-anxiety, frequently points out the precise 

 spot to any one who happens to come veiy near. 

 Here is a bit of stupidity, not by any means confined 

 to this bird, which before now ought to have been 



