PINE WARBLER 355 



April 11, 1856. Hear in the old place, the pitch pine 

 grove on the bank by the river, the pleasant ringing 

 note of the pine warbler. Its a-che, vitter vitter, vitter 

 vitter, vitter vitter, vitter vitter, vet rings through the 

 open pine grove very rapidly. I also heard it at the 

 old place by the railroad, as I came along. It is re- 

 markable that I have so often heard it first in these 

 two localities, i. e. where the railroad skirts the north 

 edge of a small swamp densely filled with tall old white 

 pines and a few white oaks, and in a young grove com- 

 posed wholly of pitch pines on the otherwise bare, very 

 high and level bank of the Assabet. When the season 

 is advanced enough, I am pretty sure to hear its ring- 

 ing note in both those places. 



April 15, 1859. The warm pine woods are all alive 

 this afternoon with the jingle of the pine warbler, the 

 for the most part invisible minstrel. That wood, for 

 example, at the Punk Oak, where we sit to hear it. It 

 is surprising how quickly the earth, which was covered 

 half an inch deep this morning, and since so wet, has 

 become comparatively dry, so that we sit on the ground 

 or on the dry leaves in woods at 3 P. M. and smell the 

 pines and see and hear the flies, etc., buzz about, though 

 the sun did not come out till 12 M. This morning, the 

 aspect of winter ; at mid-forenoon, the ground reeking 

 with moisture ; at 3 P. M., sit on dry leaves and hear 

 the flies buzz and smell the pines! That wood is now 

 very handsome seen from the westerly side, the sun 

 falling far through it, though some trunks are wholly 

 in shade. This warbler impresses me as if it were 

 calling the trees to life. I think of springing twigs. Its 



