34 



BIRDS AND FLOWERS. 



Ponds, near Horseshoe, where the red-winged black- 

 bird sounds his quonk-a-ree, we saw a large flock of 

 the pretty yellow-rumped warblers, which I found 

 very abundant on the summit of Moosilauke last 

 summer. Some tree swallows, which were perched 

 on the telegraph wire, obligingly sat unmoved for sev- 

 eral minutes while we admired their silver vests and 

 tried to determine whether their iridescent coats 

 were metallic green, blue or purple black. 



Wednesday afternoon, May 9, at Gen. J. N. Pat- 

 terson's, I saw nine different species of birds in the 

 course of an hour, five of which were warblers. The 

 trees were fairly swarming with them. The parula 

 or blue yellow-backed were the most noticeable. A 

 company of them were industriously exploring every 

 bud and twig of an apple tree, and so busy and happy 

 were they that they did not mind my immediate pres- 

 ence. Another tree was filled with olive backs, yellow 

 breasts and bluish gray heads, which I judged meant 

 a flock of Nashville warblers. The handsome black- 

 throated green warbler delighted me with his bright 

 yellow head and inverted black V on his breast, and 

 presently my eyes were dazzled by a glimpse of the 

 far-famed Blackburnian. I had never seen him be- 

 fore, but there was no mistaking those blazing orange 



