54 A NATURALIST ON DESERT ISLANDS. 



that it was extremely ugly. In sober truth it is one of 

 the most lovely little birds, both as regards colouring and 

 shape, that we know. No mere words could convey the 

 least idea of the " artisfcic " colouring of this sleek, mouse- 

 like bird, and of its no less fascinating movements. What 

 is the use, for instance, of saying that its back is " plain 

 dull-greyish olive-green " if you have not seen the delicate 

 tint which these words endeavour to express, or how 

 subtly it contrasts with the bird's jet black " mask," 

 the canary-yeUoAv of its chin, throat and chest, the ash^ 

 grey of its crown and the pale buff of its under-parts ? 



It would be tedious, however, to go on much longer 

 describing the birds which live among these woods during 

 the winter. I have only one excuse to offer to the reader 

 for having already stretched this chapter to such a length. 

 It is the interest which any bird seems to have for us 

 when it lives on an isolated and diminutive island. 



I shall therefore simply mention three other visitors. 

 One of these was the American redstart {SetopJiaga 

 ruticilla), with its startling contrasts of black, pale-orange, 

 saturn-red, and white ; another was a delicate little bird 

 Hke a very diminutive song-thrush, which, from its 

 habit of frequenting the marj^tns of ponds and morasses, 

 has received the popular name of water-thrush (Seiurus 

 tioveboracensis) ; while the last was the white-eyed vireo, 

 a soberly coloured little songster, which Lady Wilton 

 christened the " spring bird," because it reminded her 

 of the willow-wren. It was a happy name to give it, 

 far more descriptive than its scientific one of Vireo 

 noveboracensis, for it has a careless happy lilt, which 

 speaks to one of spring days and primrose-studded woods. 

 We might have placed this last bird among the list of 

 doubtful residents, for some are said to spend the whole 

 year in the island of Jamaica, and it is rather suggestive 

 that the only one which we shot differs in some respects 

 from typical examples, a fact we only discovered after 

 leaving the island. 



