222 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XVI. 



numerous about the first week in May, and the 

 landrail's call is heard from every patch of clover. 

 The movements of the landrail are very peculiar 

 and amusing : at one moment threading the clover 

 with its head bent to the ground, and looking more 

 like a weasel than a bird ; the next, standing per- 

 fectly erect, and uttering its hoarse cry with a voice 

 of brass. I saw one to-day standing upright 

 between the legs of a cow, and crying boldly, as if 

 perfectly aware that the cow was not an enemy. 



WTiilst fishing in the upper part of the river I 

 saw numbers of crossbills and siskins in the beautiful 

 woods of Dulsie. The nests of these two birds are 

 scarcely ever found, although they certainly breed 

 plentifully in this country. The siskin conceals its 

 small nest with great care at some distance from 

 the ground, generally near the summit of a spruce 

 fir ; while the crossbill places its nest, which it 

 assimilates as much as possible to the colour and 

 texture of the moss, on some good-sized hori- 

 zontal branch of a fir-tree, so that it is nearly 

 invisible from below. 



When the season is late the fish are also late in 

 taking the fly. The natural fly does not come to 

 maturity this year as early as usual, in consequence 

 of the herbage not having come up ; and the want 

 of flies on the water keeps the fish from coming out 



