MIDSUMMER SONGSTERS. 85 



since he nowhere mentions the field-spar- 

 row by name, there can be little doubt 

 that this bird was meant. The local and 

 popular names of birds, as of flowers, are 

 infinite. This bird may be heard any day 

 along the hillside east of Peat Meadow. 



It is no wonder that the little red-eyed 

 vireo keeps on singing his simple, rather 

 monotonous ditty all through the summer, 

 and almost up to the time of his depart- 

 ure for the South, about the second week 

 in September. His song, which he carols 

 all day long, as he flits about among the 

 leaves of the maple in pursuit of his insect 

 food, seems to be treated by him as a 

 part of the business of the day, and is in 

 no wise expressive of undue emotion and 

 exuberance of spirits, as is the case with 

 the singing of most birds. 



That curious harlequin, in his pied dress, 

 the chewink or ground-robin, or towhee 

 bunting, is another bird I always hear 

 almost till the close of summer, usually 

 in company with the field-sparrow. Even 

 after he has abandoned his sparrow-like 



