THE BLACK-POLL WOOD- WARBLER. 
29 
to the view. The remains of a deserted camp of seal-catchers was easily 
traced from our deck, and as easily could we perceive the innate tendency of 
man to mischief, in the charred and crumbling ruins of the dwarf-pine forests. 
But the harbour was so safe and commodious, that before we left it to find 
shelter in another, we had cause to be thankful for its friendly protection 
We were accoutred for the occasion, and, as I have said, instantly made for 
the shore. Anxious to receive as much information as possible in a given 
time, we separated. The more active scaled the most difficult heights, and 
among them was our Captain, Mr. Emery, than whom a more expert seaman 
and a better man is rarely to be found. Others chose the next most difficult 
place of ascent ; while I and my young friend Dr. Shattuck, of Boston, 
slowly moved along in quest of birds, plants, and other objects. We soon 
reached a considerable elevation, from which we beheld the broad Gulf of 
St. Lawrence gathering its grey vapours, as if about to cover itself with a 
mantle ; while now and then our eye was suddenly attracted by the gliding 
movements of our distant parties, as they slipped down the declivities. In 
this manner we had surveyed the country for several miles, when the sea-fog 
began to approach the land so swiftly, that, with the knowledge we all had 
acquired of the difficulty of proceeding overland when surprised by it, we 
judged it prudent to return to our vessel. There we compared notes, and 
made preparations for the morrow. 
One fair morning, while several of us were scrambling through one of the 
thickets of trees, scarcely waist-high, my youngest son chanced to scare from 
her nest a female of the Black-poll Warbler. Reader, just fancy how this 
raised my spirits. I felt as if the enormous expense of our voyage had been 
refunded. “ There,” said I, “we are the first white men who ha.ve seen 
such a nest.” I peeped into it, saw that it contained four eggs, and observed 
its little owner looking upon us with anxiety and astonishment. It was 
placed about three feet from the ground, in the fork of a small branch, close 
to the main stem of a fir tree. Its diameter internally was two inches, the 
depth one and a half. Externally it resembled the nest of the White-crowned 
Sparrow, being formed of green and white moss and lichens, intermixed 
with coarse dried grass; within this was a layer of bent grass, and the lining 
was of very dark coloured dry moss, looking precisely like horse-hair, 
arranged in a circular direction with great care. Lastly, there was a thick 
bed of large soft feathers, some of which were from Ducks, but most of 
them from the Willow Grouse. 
I must now return to the United States, and trace the progress of our 
Warbler. It enters Louisiana as early as the middle of February. At this 
time it is seen gleaning food among the taller branches of the willows, maples, 
and other trees that overhang the rivers and lakes. Its migrations'eastward 
Yol. II. 5 
