A SEASON OF GROWTH 
53 
conspicuous bough, ready to dart out after a wander- 
ing moth or butterfly* The Oven-bird sounds its 
familiar crescendo. The Veery, the most passionate 
and joyful singer of the woods, is announcing the 
arrival of summer. His call is indescribable, and 
leaves an impression of wonder at the power of a few 
connected notes. He seems to be churning his song 
in a resonant shell, and with each dash there is a 
swift outpouring of melody. Quiet indifference is his 
best safeguard, and while he is filling the shrubbery 
with his song and the listeners seek him in every 
direction, he is sitting on an exposed twig, his 
blotched breast and neutral colours blending im- 
perceptibly with the background of opening foliage. 
The Red -start, too, brings a pledge of returning 
summer, winning a welcome with his open confi- 
dence, cheerful note, and handsome plumage. As he 
disappears in the underbrush the crescents of bright 
salmon on wings and tail make a sharp contrast with 
his coat of black. 
The Huckleberry bushes appear green and new, 
the little cup-like flowers giving promise of a treat 
for boys and birds as the summer advances. The 
trees and shrubs show a varied yielding to the 
season's influence. The rough, repellent Hickory has 
great, swollen buds ready to release the enfolded 
leaves. The Oaks are scarcely willing to yield at all. 
Half-grown, spoon-shaped leaves are out on the 
