GENERAL FEATURES. 
19 
indignation by chippering saucily, keeping time with vehement jerks 
of the body and spasmodic flourishes of the tail, which he has by no 
means neglected to cock up over his arched back. Crossing the 
crest of the divide the coarse croak of a Raven greets our ears; and, 
descending into the valley below, the shrill cry of a wary Loon, from 
the distant lake, melts away into the evening air, and the silence of 
the fast-approaching twilight is unbroken save by the soft flute-like 
song of the sombre Thrush. 
<L> 
During winter and early spring the birds one is most apt to find 
here are the White-winged and Red Crossbills, the Blue and Canada 
Jays, Black-capped and Hudsonian Titmice, Nuthatches, Ravens, 
several species of Woodpeckers, the Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, and 
once in a while an Owl. Sometimes the Pine Grosbeak is common, 
in flocks; and occasionally, during February, March, and April, the 
Wilderness literally swarms with Pine Linnets which then breed here 
in thousands and may hardly be seen again for several years. 
In autumn, during the fall migrations, the most marked feature in 
the bird line consists in what I have for many years designated the 
“ mixed flocks." At this season one may hunt for hours and scarce- 
ly see a bird, when, suddenly, he finds himself surrounded by a host 
of individuals, representing many species and pertaining to widely 
different families. To illustrate, I quote from my journal under date 
of October, 1879 — a lowery day — the locality being Big Moose Lake 
in the heart of the Wilderness. “ During the afternoon one of those 
mixed flocks of birds, so characteristic of the Adirondacks at this sea- 
son, passed slowly by our camp and I stepped out, in the rain, and 
watched them till all were gone. There were at least fifty Robins 
and they loaded down a mountain ash, feeding upon its berries and 
making a most unnecessary amount of noise — very unlike their con- 
duct at home, where, when similarly engaged in our garden, they are 
noted for their silence. In the trees overhead were several Blue Jays, 
and in the undergrowth and amongst the fallen timber were large 
numbers of Slate-colored Snow-birds, a few White-throated, Song, 
