248 BIRDS OF FIELD, FOREST AND PARK 



Part II 



** I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine ey« 

 seeth thee." — Old Testament. 



If with diligence and patience you have long 

 searched for something upon the finding of 

 which your heart has been firmly set, or, if 

 striving earnestly to accomplish a certain result 

 you have at times almost succeeded, only to 

 taste the bitterness of defeat again and again, 

 and at last most unexpectedly and without 

 effort upon your part have suddenly reached 

 the goal of your desires, then will you realize 

 something of the deep sense of victory which 

 came to me at an early hour on a recent morning. 



An earnest wish to hear the wonderful nest- 

 ing song of the Winter Wren has possessed me 

 for many years. In fact this desire had its in- 

 ception one evening some twenty years ago 

 when a friend, a trained naturalist and ardent 

 bird lover, in words aglow with the delight of 

 the recent experience, described his impressions 

 of the lay of this woodland sprite. He related 

 how, while fishing a remote stream in the north 

 woods, there came from the thicket to his atten- 

 tive ear notes so entrancing, so much in keeping 

 with the wildness of the spot that, dropping 

 his rod, he followed its elusive source in and out 

 through the dense growth, losing all sense of 

 direction but gaining a notable victory in iden- 

 tifying the singer. He declared this song unex- 

 celled in variety of notes among our Northern 

 birds. 



