220 ' THE^SOLITAIRE. 



bird stood on a perch very near my head, — so 

 near I could not turn to look at him, when, with- 

 out a moment's hesitation, without an instant's 

 preliminary practice, he burst out into a glori- 

 ous, heavenly, perfect song that struck me dumb 

 and breatliless. Not daring to move hand or 

 foot, j^et wanting some record of the wonderful 

 aria, I jotted down, in the page I was writing, 

 a few of the opening notes ; I could re-write my 

 page, but I could not bear to lose the music. 

 Three times, at intervals of perhajDS one minute, 

 he uttered the same marvelous song, and then I 

 never heard it again. After all, I had not a 

 record of it, for though it was deliberate and 

 distinct, at every repetition I was spellbound, 

 and could not separate it into tones. 



Though I should live to be a thousand years 

 old, and visit every country under heaven, I am 

 sure I should never hear such a rapturous burst 

 of song again, — 



" Low and soft as the soothing fall 



Of the fountains of Eden ; sweet as the call 

 Of angels over the jasper wall 

 That welcomes a soul to heaven." 



After the foregoing study was written, Mr. 

 Frederic A. Ober kindly placed at my disposal 

 his unpublished notes upon another solitaire, 

 the siffleur moiitagne^ or mountain whistler. 

 He had the bird in confinement for some time, 



