20 TRAMPS WITH AN ENTHUSIAST. 



hopping upon a stalk which bent very much 

 with his weight, peering eagerly inside ; then on 

 another, picking off something ; then creeping 

 between the stems, going into the bunch out of 

 sight, and reappearing with his mouth full ; then 

 flying off to his home. This bird was peculiarly 

 marked, so that I knew him. The red of his 

 breast was continued in a narrow streak down 

 through the white, as if the color had been put 

 on wet, and had dripped at the point. 



The third tramp with my Enthusiast was after 

 a warbler. To my fellow bird-students that tells 

 a story. Who among them has not been be- 

 witched by one of those woodland sprites, led a 

 wild dance through bush and brier, satisfied and 

 happy if he could catch an occasional glimpse of 

 the flitting enchanter ! 



This morning we drove a mile or two out of 

 the village, hitched our horse, — a piece of per- 

 fection, who feared nothing, never saw anything 

 on the road, and would stand forever if desired, 

 — and started into the pasture. The gate 

 passed, we had first to pick our way through a 

 bog which had been cut by cows' hoofs into 

 innumerable holes and pitfalls, and then so 

 overgrown by weeds and moss that we could 

 not always tell where it was safe to put a foot. 

 We consoled ourselves for the inconvenience by 



