THE GOkkEGTOHS' pNTjM. 



Devoted to Ornitholoy, Oology and fiatural History. 



(Written for the Collectors Monthly) 



BY REV. J. H.LANGILLE. 



Author of '''Our Birds in their Haunts" 



The Golden Crowned Accentor. 



This may be regarded as one of the most 

 pleasing and interesting birds of our country 

 Resembling the thrushes in color, it was for. 

 merly called the Golden-crowned Thrush ; 

 bearing a strong resemblance to the Larks 

 in manner, it has been more or less associa- 

 ted with that class ; while more recently it 

 has been classed with the warblers. It is 

 therefore rather difficult to classify. As its 

 nest, which is on the ground, is covered over 

 admitting the bird through a hole in the side 

 and so resembling an Old fashioned oven, 

 the owner has also been called the Oven bird. 

 Its classification with the Warblers, is on 

 account of its structural affinity, and not from 

 its appearance or habits. Its eggs, like those 



of its near relation the Water Thrush 



also named from color are decidedly 



like those of the warblers, white, elegantly 

 marked with light reddish brown. 



A dainty, mincing little walker is this Gol- 

 den crown. Taking long steps, it moves its 

 head backward and forward in a dove like 

 manner, to keep its balance, and when flying 

 it seldom rises far from the ground. Its 

 monotonous chant so frequently neard, is 

 generally delivered from the lower limb of a 

 tree or some where near the ground. 



Until quite recently, this chant was sup- 

 posed to be the only song of the species; but 

 Mr. John Burroughs, in his Wake- Robin, 

 gave an account of a song flight, some what 

 after the manner of the European Sky Lark. 

 This took all ornithologists by surprise, and 

 put them on the alert to see this strange 



manoeuvre. For years, while preparing for 

 the publishing of my book, "Our Birds in 

 their Haunts," I watched this bird, hoping 

 to see the song flight, but without success. 

 Once, while spending the night in my ham- 

 mock in the woods, I heard the bird deliver 

 a delightful warble as a continuation of its 

 chant, I was thus well rewarded for spending 

 a night in the woods. 



Six years ago, I moved into Maryland just 

 in the suburbs of Washington. Being fond 

 of rural pursuits, and wishing to make a 

 permanent home in the locality referred to 

 I purchased a small tract of heavily timber- 

 ed land and began a pioneer life. Having 

 made a new cleaning with woods on all sides 

 and built my house in a beautiful grove of 

 forest trees, I found myself well situated for 

 the study of the wild birds. Tanagers, Wood 

 thrushes, Chewinks, Field sparrows, Prarie 

 and Maryland yellow throat warblers, Vireos 

 Chats, and Indigo birds were abundant. 

 The Grand Cardinal quite common, and the 

 first to sing in winter, as spring approached. 

 The bird which sings all the year, however 

 is the Carolina Wren. 



But the main point is this, here the Gold- 

 en Crown favors me with his best profer- 

 mance, his song-flight to perfection. Rising 

 high above the tree tops, he will flutter and 

 hover, for some time at about the same point 

 making the air resonant with a most delight- 

 ful warble; and, having completed, will de- 

 scend like some falling object into the tree- 

 tops. Sometimes he will rise over the open 

 field to deliver his song, and then shoot back 

 into the dense forest at its close. 



This performance occurs most frequently 

 between sun-set and dark, on fine summer 



