74 THE WITCHING WREN. 



discovered, of a proper size for his small body, 

 but in less than a minute it was bigf enouo-h to 

 admit the enormous head of the dog, who varied 

 his eager tearing up of the soil with burying his 

 head and shoulders in the hole he had made ; 

 smelling and listening a few seconds, then jerk- 

 ing it out with a great snort, and devoting him- 

 self with fresh vigor to digging. It was a curi- 

 ous contrast to the indifference with which he 

 usually accompanied us, but it proved that he 

 had his enthusiasms, if he did not share ours. 

 We could not but be amused, notwithstanding 

 the delicious trilling notes that drew us grew 

 fainter and fainter, and we desj^aired of seeing 

 our songster till the important affairs of that 

 mouse should be settled. Arguments were of 

 no avail with the four-footed sportsman, a rival 

 attraction failed to attract, and commands were 

 thrown away on him in his excited state. We 

 were forced to go home without the sight we 

 desired. 



We were not the first to be fascinated by this 

 marvelous melody. " Dull indeed must be the 

 ear that thrills not on hearing it," says Audu- 

 bon, and its effect upon him is worth telling. 

 He was traveling through a swamp, where he 

 had reason to suspect the presence of venomous 

 snakes and other reptiles. While moving with 

 great circumspection, looking out for these un- 



