AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 119 



10, 3, 1, 11, 7, had dampened the earth. I 9, 5, 3, 2, 4, hidden by a 

 thicket not far from where the brook 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 4, down the slope, 

 and waited, and listened for an invisible choir. Hark! The dusky 

 arches echoed and re-echoed with the sweet melody of my favorite 

 birds— the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and I "listened as if Iheard 

 an angel sing with news from heaven " 



WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES ? 



Number 1. About the size of an English sparrow. Male — Brown 

 above, blotched and splashed with darker brown, shoulders tinged with 

 Indian red, a gray line over each eye. Eye black; chin white, a con- 

 spicuous black spot on the throat. Breast sulphur yellow, shading to 

 whitish underneath. Wings brown, some of the feathers being edged 

 with lighter brown. No bars on wings. Bill horn colored. They 

 build their nest in a bush or other low place, never far from the ground. 

 The nest is cup-shaped and compact, composed of coarse grass, parts 

 of corn husks, etc., and lined with fine grass blades and stems. Four 

 to six eggs, a trifle deeper blue than the bluebirds. While the female is 

 sitting the male will usually be found near by, perched upon a con- 

 spicuous branch, where he sings over and over, a few notes like "teck- 

 teck-teck-twit-twit-twit," the last three notes uttered in quick succes- 

 sion. Edgar Boyer, Mo. 



Number 2. This bird arrives here in the spring, about the first of 

 May. Male — Length six and three quarters or seven inches. Head, 

 neck, and upper back olive green. Rump and tail yellowish olive. 

 The wings are dusky, the coverts being tipped with yellowish, forming 

 two indistinct bars. Chin and throat velvety black. Breast and under- 

 parts yellow. Female — Like male except that she hasn't the black 

 throat and chin, hers being yellowish. She is also duller and smaller. 

 These birds build a nest like the Baltimore oriole, and always hang it 

 Mgh up in the tree. As the nest is always so difficult to reach I never 

 saw the eggs. The male may be heard singing all the day, as he flies 

 about in the trees feeding on the insects and worms he finds in the' 

 foliage. His song is something like that of the Baltimore oriole. 



Edgar Boyer, Mo. 



Number 3. While walking yesterday, a small flock of birds lit in the 

 t)ushes several rods away. From what I could see they were brown, 

 with a dark spot under the chin, and a slightly forked tail. They were 

 about the size of an English sparrow,. or a trifle smaller, and resembled 

 the goldflnch in flight and voice. They were quite shy, and I could not 

 get very near to them. Gerald B. Thomas, Iowa. 



