Maryland Birds. 103 



ing warble not unlike that of the Goldfinch and Indigo Bunt- 

 ing and almost as sprightly as that of the House Wren, aft- 

 er which it drops down into the tree-tops almost as if shot, 

 and remains silent till soaring again. Indeed its chant is 

 seldom heard at this time of day. Of course its oven-shaped 

 nest is common in our forests up to the very borders, and 

 all too commonly the sitting bird becomes the prey of some 

 prowling cat. 



Unless the eye and ear are well trained to the birds, one 

 might very easily confound the above species with the Indi- 

 go Bunting, the song flight of which is quite common to 

 these parts and decidedly similar. It is not so much in the 

 forest, however, more out from the forest in the open field, 

 or from the top of some solitary tree of the meadow or pas- 

 ture, and the song is not so loud. The Indigo Bunting, as 

 well as the Goldfinch, is quite common here, the latter be- 

 ing resident in flocks during winter. 



Meadowlarks are common here throughout the year. 

 Bobolinks pass through in considerable numbers, but do not 

 remain. The Orchard Oriole is abundant, but the Balti- 

 more Oriole can hardly be called common in the nesting 

 period. I have never found the Cowbird's egg in the nests 

 of the smaller birds. The Red-winged Blackbird is com- 

 mon to swampy places, but not really numerous, and the 

 Purple Grackle seems confined to certain places where the 

 Lombardy poplar or dense evergreens darken the yard. 

 Blue Jays are common, and, as we are in the regular Crow 

 belt, they breed here, the American as well as the Fish 

 Crow, and congregate in vast numbers in winter. From Oc- 

 tober till April, Juncos are here in vast flocks, with a liberal 

 accompaniment of Tree Sparrows and an occasional White- 

 throated Sparrow, the latter favoring us with its song dur- 

 ing the balmy days of autumn and in early spring. 



The Cardinal is common throughout the year, as also is 

 the Bluebird. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is rare in the 

 migration, and I have found one pair of the Blue Gros- 

 beak here late in June. The Phoebe and the Wood Pewee 



