The glossy, purplish-black, fluffy head with its mark of pure white reaching 

 from eye to eye around the back of the head, makes a pleasant as well as a con- 

 spicuous contrast. The females are content with a white spot behind the eye. 

 Females usually accompany the flocks of early males, and males the flocks of late 

 females, but I haye seen flocks composed wholly of one sex. In flight the birds 

 form a bunch rather than a flock. 



The spring migrations cover the last week in March and almost the whole 

 of April. The birds return in October, and some may remain all winter in favor- 

 able winters or in favorable localities. While there seem to be considerable 

 numbers of these birds, they never swarm anywhere. The flocks are usually not 

 large, but the birds keep close together. 



Buffle-head nests north of Ohio, but Dr. F. W. Langdon has found individuals 

 in summer in Ottawa County, and it is reported as breeding sparingly on the St. 

 Clair Flats. The nest is in a hollow tree or stump, and the mother bird plucks 

 her own breast for the lining. The eggs range up to twelve in number, and do not 

 differ in color from other duck eggs. It does not seem to be settled whether the 

 old bird carries the young to the water, or whether she drops them to the ground 

 and then guides them there. 



Address to the Woodlark 



By Robert Burns 



O stay, sweet warbling woodlark, stay, 

 Nor quit for me the trembling spray, 

 A hapless lover courts thy lay, 

 Thy soothing fond complaining. 



Again, again that tender part. 

 That I may catch thy melting art ; 

 For surely that wad touch her heart, 

 Wha kills me wi' disdaining. 



Say, was thy little mate unkind. 

 And heard thee as the careless wind ? 

 Oh, nocht but love and sorrow join'd 

 Sic notes o' wae could wauken. 



Thou tells o' never-ending care ; 

 O' speechless grief, and dark despair; 

 For pity's sake, sweet bird, nae mair ! 

 Or my poor heart is broken ! 



593 



