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ACTIVE GLEANERS 
Advancing summer brings a period of silence in the 
Bird world. The happy notes of the Song Sparrow 
still enliven the woods. The vigorous but less 
melodious call of the Yellow Warbler is still heard, 
and a few other perpetual singers keep the spirit alive. 
But in contrast with the chorus of early spring 
the woods are silent, relieved mainly by the dis- 
tressed calling of hungry fledglings, impatient at 
the delay of their tired parents in distributing food. 
Young birds that have left the nest but are still in a 
dependent position are a serious problem to parents, 
struggling energetically to keep all wants supplied 
and silence all turbulent outcries. The quiet of the 
season affords an opportunity to watch the ceaseless 
activity of the little gleaners. The Warblers in bright 
and varied colours are skimming about over leaves 
and twigs, picking off every insect that has found 
a lodgment there. The Yellow Warbler is perhaps 
the most industrious and most familiar, although his 
fondness for the close-leaved tops of trees, where the 
sun strengthens the yellow tints of the green, often 
shields him from observation. He is revealed by 
