^ov. 1890.] 



AWD OOLOGIST. 



163 



761. I'obin. A few pairs at Bootlibay. 

 About a dozen on Bobson's Island. 



T(i6. Bluebird. Saw one or two pairs at 

 IJootlibav. Tliiiiitds H. M(n)i(joiiiPri/, Jr. 



A Strange Occurrence. 



I was wanderinji' slowly alonf;;, "un in hand, 

 early one fall nioriiint;: tlie sun was just 

 warm enou<;li, the sky just blue enough, and 

 the ground just dry enough to make me feel 

 hiippy and contented all throngli. I walked 

 along a high, steej) bluff overlooking the lake, 

 a bluff grown over with cedars, hazels, and a 

 few stately pines, through which flashed oc- 

 casional glimpses of placid waterscape. 1 

 seated myself at the foot of a great pine, ab- 

 sorbing sunshine through every pore and 

 breathing the racy essence of pine needles. 

 1 was just becoming drowsy, my eyes half 

 closed, and unconscious of all sounds but a 

 dre;uny humming, when I suddenly started up, 

 broad awake. At first I was dazed, and unable 

 to imagine the cause, but after rubbing my 

 eyes I saw that the bushes and tree tops were 

 full of little warblers hopping and skipping 

 fiom limb to limb. IIow (pieer I felt ! Every 

 surrounding object became larger and laiger, 

 until it was of gignntic size. I was very much 

 frightened until a Chickadee, bigger than the 

 largest Engle ever seen, ]u)i)ped down and 

 remarked kindly, '-Tliis the way, way, way." 

 Then I noticed that the former peepings had 

 changed, and in their places hundreds of 

 tinkling voices weie exclaiming, some in de- 

 light at a new tind, some in fear, while over 

 all was heard the steady refrain, "to the 

 South I .South waid!" 



It dill not seem in the least strange that my 

 arms had clianged to two black wings and 

 that I had acipiired a soft feathery covering of 

 a Ijcautiful yellow. I hopped bravely upon a 

 twig and began to search for food to satisfy 

 my newly found hunger. A hazel bush first 

 pre.sented itself to my sight, so into that I flew. 

 Everyone else was hurrying along, hunting 

 tlirough tlieir trees in a twinkle and Hying 

 (juickly to the next. All the time the great 

 C'hickadees were hopping and flying along at 

 the head of the column showing the way for 

 those that followed, while a comi)any of Nut- 

 hatches blew their little tin horns to keep us all 

 together. I took plenty of time ; having found a 

 good bunch of leaves I stayed there, picking 

 olY every unfin-tunate bug that presented itself. 

 They tasted good, and I was very loth to leave 



that bush ; still the others were so far ahead that 

 I was about to fly along, when I was suddenly 

 surrounded by another little band of the same 

 dress as myself and feeding quite as deliber- 

 ately. Soon one approached me and remarked, 

 "This is the way I like to travel, eat when you 

 eat and J()urney wlnn you journey. Then, too, 

 the Oiiickadees are so very accommodating; 

 every little island or patch of woods has its 

 band ready and willing to show us the path 

 through their country." 



"f'ome on, come on!" they all cried, and 

 following them I soon found myself at the 

 head of the procession. 



"Why not go up into the tops as those 

 little fellows do ?" I inquired of my neighbor, 

 a demure little thing without the sign of a 

 black bonnet. 



"Oil, you can if yon want to," she replied 

 carelessly, "but we prefer it down here." 



Now I was just obstinate enough to desire 

 to find out for myself how it seemed to be 

 swaying around so high up in the breezes, so 

 up I climbed by easy stages to the topmost 

 spray. Here I found a band of blue-coated 

 yellow-vested fellows accompanied by our 

 common friend, the Redstart. I caught a 

 good deal of game on the wing, for in that I 

 was quite proiicient, but found the insects 

 too small for my appetite. Still I enjoyed it 

 very much, and was nearly beginning to pity 

 my deserted comrades, when, zip! a huge 

 brown body shot by, from which an immense 

 claw made a grab at me. I don't know how I 

 escaped, but he missed and bringing up sud- 

 denly on a big limb disclosed the flashing eyes 

 and bristling feathers of that dreaded tryant, 

 the >liarp-shinned Hawk. At that moment, 

 way down below, a frightful roar burst upon 

 my ear. At the same instant the poor Hawk 

 fell limi) and lifeless from his perch. 



I immediately fled to the lower regions 

 again, quite determined there to remain. I 

 had proceeded but a short distance when I 

 heard one of my companions crying out in the 

 most agonizing tones. Yon maybe sure I flew 

 at once to the rescue, and approaching as 

 closely as possible to the sound, paused to re- 

 connoitre. After a moment I discovered that 

 what I thought to be a stump svas in reality 

 one of that dreadful species, man, and that 

 from him the sounds proceeded. He was 

 about thirteen years old, with long brown hair 

 and pii)e-stem legs inclosed in rubber boots. 

 He bore a light gun and had a fishing creel 

 over his shoulder. 1 made some such remark 

 as "what do you want?" approaching very 



