140 THE FOX-COLOURED FINCH. 



whole of the Union by day, resting here and there awhile, to watch the 

 gradual improvement of the season. 



They enter the British Provinces full of joy, and lavish of song. Many 

 are well pleased to remain there, but the greater number pursue their course 

 to revisit the Magdeleine Islands, Newfoundland, and the country of Labra- 

 dor. There you find them in every pleasant dell, where no sooner have 

 they arrived than each searches for a safe retreat in which to place its nest. 

 This is in due time replenished with eggs; and, while the female sits on them 

 with care and anxiety, her devoted lover chants the blessings they both 

 enjoy. 



The flight of this bird is low, rapid, and undulating. While passing over 

 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it flies swiftly, at a moderate height, without 

 uttering any note. They appear to be able to travel to a considerable 

 distance, without the necessity of alighting, and I have thought that they 

 may accomplish the passage of the Gulf without resting on any of its islands. 

 As soon as they alight, they betake themselves to the deepest thickets. 



During the breeding season, their plumage has a richness which it does 

 not exhibit in the winter months, while with us. Indeed some of the males 

 at that time are so highly coloured as to be of a bright red rather than of a 

 brown tint; and their appearance, as they pass from one bush to another, or 

 skip from stone to stone, is extremely pleasing. I have attempted to repre- 

 sent this colouring in the Plate. 



Would that I could describe the sweet song of this Finch; that I could 

 convey to your mind the effect it produced on my feelings, when wandering 

 on the desolate shores of Labrador! — that I could intelligibly tell you of the 

 clear, full notes of its unaffected warble, as it sat perched on the branch of 

 some stunted fir. There for hours together was continued the delightful 

 serenade, which kept me lingering about the spot. The brilliancy and clear- 

 ness of each note, as it flowed through the air, were so enchanting, the 

 expression and emphasis of the song so powerful, that I never tired of list- 

 ening. But, reader, I can furnish no description of the melody. 



While in South Carolina, in January 1S34, after I had returned from the 

 country where this species breeds, I happened, one fair day, to meet with a 

 groupe of these birds. The}' were singing in concert. Never shall I forget 

 the impression which their notes made on me: I suddenly stopped and 

 looked around; for a moment I imagined that I had been by magic trans- 

 ported to the wilds of Labrador; but how short was the duration of these 

 feelings! — a Hawk sailed over the spot of their concealment, and in an 

 instant all was silent as the tomb. 



The nest of the Fox-coloured Sparrow, which is large for the size of the 

 bird, is usually placed on the ground, among moss or tall grass, near the stem 



