awakening which charms him. Before the air gets balmy and warm, or before the first 

 delicate blossom announces the approach of spring, the Robin and the Bluebird bring from 

 the South the first glad tidings of its northward march. Soon after the arrival of these 

 harbingers the first flowers appear. Modestly hidden in some sheltered nook they open 

 their buds to the enlivening rays of the sun. Rough and wintry winds alternate -with 

 balmy breezes. The buds of the orchard trees and the wild crab on the woodland 

 boi-der begin to swell. More and more of the winged summer sojourners arrive from 

 the South, flower after flower opens. In the woodlands the snowy trillium* flowers 

 almost unseen. When the beautiful blue hepaticas are nearly out of flower, the ane- 

 mone, the dog's-tooth violet, and the bloodroot are blooming profusely in sheltered 

 nooks and comers. In the woods the wild plum, the June-berry, and the moosewood* 

 break into bloom and a week later the orchard trees are covered with white and pink 

 blossoms. Then fluttering, chasing, twittering, song and jubilation pervades the fragrant 

 wilderness of tender leaves and sweet blooms. The effect of this happy life in the flower- 

 adorned bushes and trees is as indescribable as it is beneficent. Large numbers of 

 Wood Warblers in their bright-colored attires are flitting about in the blooming trees, 

 leading a happy and joyful life in hunting for insects, which now^ appear in swarms 

 among the flowers and the tender foliage. The true lover of Nature in the country 

 needs not to go far to enjoy this spring time splendor. He cannot live in a bare and 

 unattractive place. His house is embowered in a w^ealth of climbers and surrounded by 

 masses of shrubs, by fruit and ornamental trees and flowers. The branches of the shade 

 and orchard trees are alive with cheery Titmice, Wrens, and Bluebirds. They build their 

 nests in the boxes provided for them, while the Martins occupy those placed on posts 

 or on the roofs of buildings. At the time when the trees are in their richest and freshest 

 green, and when they are embowered in a wealth of blossoms, an army of noxious 

 insects makes its appearance, being, however, kept in check by the innumerable birds 

 now moving northward. Incessantly these little migrants wage war against these 

 insect enemies. We may now listen to the sweet strain of the Catbird, the enchanting 

 song of the Brown Thrasher, the flute-like notes of the Robin, the home-like twittering 

 of the Swallows. We observe the fire-hued Baltimore Oriole weaving its hanging nest 

 high up among the slender twigs of an elm. We carefully open the canopy of dense 

 green of an upright honey-suckle or a mock-orange and discover the glossy emerald-green 

 eggs of the Catbird in a nest lined with dark rootlets. A great number of our birds 

 frequent such surroundings, but I can only mention a few where I should like to 

 describe in a more detailed way. 



With the beginning of June the warmer season of the North has. approached. In 

 the gardens the lilies begin to bloom, following one after another from the orange lily' 

 in June to the noble golden-banded and Japan lily'' in August. The song of the birds 

 is by the end of June gradually waning, their attention being now occupied by the 

 rearing of their progeny. As their duties in that direction increase, they become almost 

 silent. After having raised their young, many remain hidden in the thickest shrubbery 

 to pass through the process of moulting. When this is over they slowly congregate 

 in flocks more or less numerous. The Bobolinks, moving about in swarms by the 



> Trillium nivale, 2 Cornua circlnaia, » Llliam umbelleium. * Lllhtm auratum and L. speclosum. 



