NATURE IN ACADIE. 59 



hills which are always its favourite resort. This nest 

 was in a ragged bank on the roadside, and was placed 

 upon the upper surface of a projecting piece of rock, 

 being well concealed from view by the overhanging turf 

 above. It had a compact exterior wall of grass stalks 

 and fine roots, except at such portion of its circumfer- 

 ence as abutted against the bank behind, while within 

 was a neat and substantial cup of dry grass with a few 

 white horsehairs. I disturbed the female from the nest, 

 which contained four eggs, in appearance of a faint 

 greenish-white, sparingly marked with small specks of 

 reddish-brown and purplish, and with a ring of spots of 

 the same around the larger end. 



One of these mornings going down to the North- 

 West Arm I noticed a tree-swallow busily preparing its 

 nest in a tree by the roadside, the site selected being a 

 small hole not more than eight feet from the ground. 

 The mate was meanwhile sitting quietly upon a 

 telegraph wire across the road, quite unalarmed, 

 although apparently eyeing me narrowly from its 

 perch as if in some doubt as to my intentions. 



On the road here also I observed one of America's 

 most typical and familiar birds. This was the " oven- 

 bird," a species which has much of the appearance of 

 an Accentor, save that its rich golden crown readily 

 distinguishes it. This individual alighted in the road 

 near to me, uttering its loud ascending trill from the 

 ground, and when disturbed it merely flew up and 

 settled a little further along the road, recommencing 

 its remarkable chant. 



In the wet woods by Chocolate Lake was a wren 

 (Troglodytes hiemalis), very much like our common 

 English species and having a remarkably similar song ; 

 also several red-eyed flycatchers, or vireos, birds of 

 curious appearance which frequented the upper branches 

 of trees, uttering from the sheltering foliage a singular 

 song, consisting of a few liquid notes incessantly 

 repeated ; but it was hard to recognise in its song 

 the supposed resemblance to the whip-tom-kelly of the 

 familiar old story. 



