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than a dozen assembled \f/ithin the space of half an acre or 
less. Each bird had its favorite perch, to which it 
always retircned quickly after being driven away. I noted 
the song of one individual as swee-see-ser-weer , repeated 
ipany times in quick succession without the slightest varia¬ 
tion. Another called swee-see-see-se-see , swee-swee-se-seer . 
The tone was high and piping but not shrill. 
On the banks of a creek I had a fine opportuijity 
to watch a male Heterocnemis naevia which hopped along 
the edge of the water and finally flew to a log where it 
turned its body from side to side, chattering like a House 
Wren. This bird reminds me much more of a Wren than of 
a Water Thrush. It resembles the latter, to be sure, in 
its habit of feeding in muddy places on or near the banks 
of streams, but it does not wag its tail and its gait is 
a Wren-like hop . It is an attractive-looking bird of 
neat plumage, soft coloring and sprightly motions. 
On the banks of this creek I killed two more 
Hummers of a species new to me, viz. Q-laucis hirsutus , I 
have indeed seen them daily, for they are common where- 
ever the wild plantain groxfs, but they are exceedingly 
difficult to shoot for they rarely alight and seldom 
poise long enough to allo¥7 one to get a fair aim. The 
flight is a succession of short flittings with momentary 
poising every few yards. They make an exceptionally loud 
droning sound and usually sprea_d their broad Igrown tails 
