A MONTH'S MUSIC. 283 



At the risk of being thought to reflect upon 

 the acuteness of more competent observers, I am 

 free to express my hope of hearing the music of 

 both these noble visitors again another season. 

 For it is noticeable how common such things 

 tend to become when once they are discovered. 

 An enthusiastic botanical collector told me that 

 for years he searched far and near for the adder's- 

 tongue fern, till one day he stumbled upon it in 

 a place over which he had long been in the habit 

 of passing. Marking the peculiarities of the 

 spot he straightway wrote to a kindred spirit, 

 whom he knew to have been engaged in the 

 same hunt, suggesting that he would probably 

 find the coveted plants in a particular section 

 of the meadow back of his own house (in Con- 

 cord) ; and sure enough, the next day's mail 

 brought an envelope from his friend, inclosing 

 specimens of Ophioglossum vulgatum, with the 

 laconic but sufficient message. Eureka ! There 

 are few naturalists, I suspect, who could not 

 narrate adventures of a like sort. 



One such befell me during this same month, 

 in connection with the wood wagtail, or golden- 

 crowned thrush. Not many birds are more 

 abundant than he in my neighborhood, and I 

 fancied myself pretty well acquainted with his 

 habits and manners. Above all, I had paid 

 attention to his celebrated love-song, listening 



