88 The Pond-Meadow. 



but ends rather oddly, as if indeed something had happened 

 the songster in the midst of his melody, and caused him to 

 suddenly modify his tune. It may be roughly rendered in 

 treele-ahn, the ahn being much drawn out. Occasionally 

 one will hover in the air over the high-tide bushes and 

 sing a slightly more extended song, which, however, ends 

 in the same way as the shorter one. At times they also 

 sing a short treele-he. The birds appear about the 

 first of May with the marsh-wrens, long before the high- 

 tide bushes are in leaf, and I have heard them singing 

 in September. I have seen two small finches in the 

 spring, one on either side of the creek, and each singing 

 most continuously, while a female spent her time in flying 

 from one to the other of her rival suitors, staying but a 

 short time with each. She had evidently not made up her 

 mind — was greatly perplexed as to which she ought to 

 choose. 



Often along the creek, the snipe call to their fellows 

 flying high above, and the alternate call and reply, is one 

 of the most pleasing bird notes to be heard from the trestle. 

 One could not address his friend in more kindly tones. 



The little green herons often perch on the beams above 

 the creek, and if it chances to be on the topmost one that 

 offers an unobstructed run-way, they trot along for a con- 

 siderable distance, if not approached too rapidly. Indeed 

 the trestle is a favorite perching place for many birds, 

 where they may look out over the wide expanse of meadow. 

 King-fishers and swallows often tarry there, while nearer 

 the upland it is the resort of song-sparrows, robins and cat- 

 birds. It is ever interesting to see the dark, Spanish gentle- 



