H 



with my birds— and told her that I had resolved to 

 flight all my Tanagers in the big aviary. My maid 

 tried hard to dissuade me, but all to no purpose — my 

 mind was made up. I forthwith gave the Tanagers 

 their liberty, not without misgivings, I confess ; nor 

 should I care to say how many times that day I went 

 to my aviary to see what kind of a welcome the un- 

 invited strangers were receiving. Much to my satis- 

 faction, the intrusion did not seem to be resented by 

 the regular denizens of my feathered city, save perhaps 

 by a red Virginian Cardinal, who looked askance at 

 the male Tanager, the vivid colours of which possibly 

 raised a feeling of envy in his breast, and caused him 

 to look with doubting eyes at the graceful little form 

 of his own mate, whose loyalty to himself, I fear he 

 thought, might be alienated by the brighter plumage 

 of his rival. But the Tanager was true to his old love 

 — perforce true, methinks, for his wife took good care 

 to allow no movement of his to escape her vigilant 

 eye : wherever her husband flew, she flew too, much 

 to the satisfaction and peace of mind of the somewhat 

 disconsolate Cardinal. And so peace and harmony 

 prevailed, a wee bit to my surprise, but certainly much 

 to my gratification. 



About the second week in September, the evening 

 air of autumn donned its chilly garb, and I thought 

 that the sooner I caught my Tanagers and housed 

 them in a warmer, but more confined house, the 

 better : so, armed with a carrier-cage and a net, I one 

 morning entered the aviary, there to find all the birds 

 so happy together, so joyous in their liberty and com- 

 panionship, that I paused upon the eve of my purpose ; 

 whereupon, seeming to divine the reluctance of their 



