36 A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER. 



I stopped to look, and hurriedly note his 

 points, fearing every moment that he would 

 take wing ; but not a feather stirred. A king 

 on his throne could not be more absolutely in- 

 different to a passer-by than this little beauty. 

 He was self-possessed as a thrush, and serene as 

 a dove, but he was not conveniently placed for 

 study, being above my head in strong sunlight, 

 against a glaring sky. I could see only that 

 his under parts were beautiful fluffy white 

 dusted with blue-gray, and that he had black 

 on the wings. He was somewhat smaller than 

 a robin, and held his tail with the grace of a 

 catbird. 



On several subsequent days I passed that 

 way frequently, sometimes seeing the bird alone, 

 again with a comrade, but always noting the 

 same reserved and composed manners, and al- 

 ways so placed that I could not see his mark- 

 ings. It was not until a week or ten days later 

 that I had a more satisfactory view. 



I was taking my usual afternoon walk, about 

 five o'clock, when, as I approached a little pond 

 beside the road, up started the unknown from 

 a brush heap on the edge. He flew across the 

 road to a tree near the track, and I was about 

 to follow him when my eye fell upon another 

 on the fence beyond, and on walking slowly 

 toward him I discovered a second, and then a 



