THE CITY OF" THE BIRDS. 95 



seem to be of no avail. They always end in 

 imperfect or dazzling views and scoldings. Even 

 the surroundings appear to be charmed, and in 

 league with the bird. Every thing is arranged 

 in the proper order for her concealment at the 

 shortest notice, and however cautiously her house 

 is approached, or whether the calls are made 

 in or out of season, she is always on the watch 

 and invariably slips like a wee shadow from the 

 back door. 



However, in two or three fortunate seasons, 

 from several visits, were gathered two or three 

 important facts about my unsociable little hermit, 

 namely : She is a small bird, darkish above with 

 no conspicuous markings on the crown or wings, 

 and has a deep yellow throat, as if it had been 

 dyed with the inner bark of the barberry stems. 

 These colors, together with the shape and mark- 

 ing of the eggs, and the character of the nest, 

 are taken home in the mind, and with but a single 

 exception are found to agree with the "Manual" 

 description of the Nashville warbler. The nests 

 of this last-named species have been described by 

 several writers, and all agree in saying that they 

 are placed on the ground and sunken so that the 

 rims are level with the surface. Be that as it 

 may, perhaps there are individuals, I said to my- 

 self, that occasionally depart, as those in other 

 species do, from the usual method of locating 



