98 PKACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



ize the hunter with the notes of the hundreds of birds 

 which frequent mountain, plain, and marsh. Nearly all 

 our birds cease their songs when their young leave the 

 nest. The vociferous little vireos, however, sing until 

 they depart in the fall, and probably continue their 

 warbling the entire year, unless it be during the moult- 

 ing season. 



When roaming in field or forest, follow up every strange 

 noise until satisfied from whence it proceeds. You will 

 in this manner become familiar with the notes of the 

 various birds of a locality. It may require several hours, 

 or even days, to learn a bird's note, but when once "ac- 

 quired," it is seldom forgotten. 



I once spent nearly half a day in a spruce swamp on a 

 pretty little island in the Bay of Fundy, before I could 

 find out the author of the winter wren's song. He is 

 such a quiet little fellow when he migrates southward in 

 winter, that it did not occur to me he could be such a 

 sweet songster. 



The little ruby-crowned wren once led me on a fruit- 

 less chase over the rugged sides of Pike's Peak, but I 

 finally surprised one at his song later in the season on 

 the Buffalo Mountains. 



Let the collector proceed from the center of the United 

 States, and going North, South, East, or West, he will 

 continually meet with strange notes and new species. 



