286 NOIiTll AililUICAN UIlfDS. 



of spring in siidi lucalitie.s. In notes, as well as in manners, Mr. Ifidgway 

 lias noticed little (liflerencu between this species and ,S'. ///^/oi- (■««//««. "xiie 

 song, liowever, is decidedly weaker, tliough scarcely less sweet, and the two 

 are very easily (hstinguished at sight l.y one lamiliar with them. 

 ^ These birds breed, tliough they are not very abundant, in the vicinity of 

 (Calais, and also in the w«;stern part of Maine. Professor Veirill states that 

 they reached the neigliborhood of Norway, Me., about tlie first of May, a ibrt- 

 night earlier tlian Mr. Allen noted tiieir arrival in Springheld. Mr.'verrill 

 demonstrated the fact of their breeding in Western Maine, by finding, June 8, 

 1801, a nest and eggs in a dense cedar swamp near Norway. 'I'his was built 

 in an excavation in the .side of a decayed moss-covered log, the excavation 

 Itself forming an arch over the nest in the manner (jf, yet dilferent from, 

 that of tlie Golden-crowneil. The nest itself was an exceeding beautiful' 

 structure, lour and a half inches in diameter, but only an inch and a half in 

 depth, being very nearly ilat, tiie cavity only half an inch deep. The entire 

 base was made of loose liyi)num mosses, interspersed with a few dead leaves 

 and stems. The whole inner structure or lining was made up of the fi'uit- 

 stems of the sanie ino.ss, densely impacted. The outer circumlercnce was 

 marie up of mos.ses and intertwined small black vegetable roots. 



This nest contained five eggs, tlie brilliant white ground of which, with 

 their delicately shaded spots of reddish-brown, contrasted with the bright 

 green of the mossy exterior, and set off to advantage by the conspicuous and 

 unique lining, jiroduce a very ])eautiful effect. 



Air. George A. Uoardman of Calais, ]Me., an oljserving and accurate natu- 

 ralist, has furnished me with the following interesting account of the habits 

 of this species and its congener, the cmrompUlm, in a letter dated St. 

 Stephen, March 23, 18G7. "Did you ever notice their walk on the ground 1 

 You know that most of our birds are hoppers. These two, S. nuvcbonaxnsis 

 and ,S'. ,uiroca2nUns, have a beautiful gliding walk, and of all our other birds 

 T only remember two that are not hoppers, the Anthus ludovicianuH and 

 Molothrus pcvoris. I do not think that a naturalist should ever say, as 

 Wilson was constantly doing, that any bird has no note or song whatever, 

 unless he is well accjuainted w ith them, at ill times, especially while breed- 

 ing. IMany birds seem really to have nothing to say except when mating. 

 I tliink that our little walker, the Water Thrush, has been particularly ill 

 used 1)y writers in this respect, for I regard liim as one of our liveliest sing- 

 ers. Its note is very high an.d clear, begins witii a sudden outburst of melody, 

 so as almost to startle you, is very clear and ringing, as if the bird had just 

 found its mate after a long absence. It then keeps falling luitil you can 

 hardly hear it. Its note is very sweet, and can be heard wlien you are in a 

 canoe or boat a very long ways. lAh- most of our Warblers and Thrushes, 

 when singing, they do not like intrusion, and it Avas a long while before I 

 could make out the bird that uttered these notes. I could only do it by 

 going in a boat or canoe. They hide in thick trees, over the water, where it 



