:::::::::*; TWO BIRD-LOVERS IN MEXICO Sis:::.:::: 



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Finches of various kinds flitted amono- the under- 

 brush, t'Hnging" to the seed panicles or scratching among 

 the dead leaves. The most abundant were the soft- 

 chirping Black-headed Grosbeaks, looking in their 

 winter garb like giant sparrows. With these were 

 many gi"'iy Jnul brown-headed Sinaloa Sparrows of the 

 southern species — closely related to the Texas Sparrow. 

 Hepatic Tanagers and Turquoise-fronted Buntings 

 mingled with the others in the bushes or among the 

 hanging vines. When a female of the latter species 

 hopped into view, the thought at once came — is it 

 ])ossible that a female English Sparrow has penetrated 

 even to this wild region ! But the mate of the little 

 brown bird soon followed, resplendent in blues of 

 every hue — marine, cobalt, azure, turquoise ! And 

 our fears were laid to rest. 



Birds have a wonderful faculty of dodging, when in 

 full fliii'ht, through thick under])rush and vines without 

 rufHing so much as a feather's tip ; but in tliis land of 

 spines and thorns they sometimes come to grief. Oc- 

 casionally a tiny half-dried skeleton clattered its little 

 bleached bones in tlie wind, or again we would come 

 across a bird which had recently been entangled and 

 thus met its death, perhaps a beautiful Painted Redstart. 



One tragedy of this kind will long remain in our 

 memories. Of all birds hummingbirds would seem 

 most exempt from the myriad dangers which threaten 

 the race of feathered beings — the dangers from 



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