40 A-BIRDING ON A BRONCO. 



relief ! I had fully expected it to be inside the 

 dense brush, where no mortal could tell what was 

 going on ; and here it was out in the plain light 

 of day. What a delightful time I should have 

 watching it! Before leaving the spot, in im- 

 agination I had followed the brood out into the 

 world and filled a note-book with the quaint airs 

 and graces of the piquant pair. 



When insinuating yourself into the secrets of 

 the bird world, it is not well to be too obtrusive 

 at first : it is a mistake to spend the day when 

 you make your first call; so contenting myself 

 with thinking of the morrow, and fixing the small 

 oak in my memory, I took myself off before the 

 blue-gray should tell on me to her mate. As I 

 rose to go, a dove flew out of the oak — she had 

 been brooding right over my head. Another nest, 

 and a mourning dove's, one of the most gentle and 

 winning of birds ! Surely my good star was in 

 the ascendent ! 



The next day, forgetful of this second nest, I 

 rode Billy right up under the oak, and was star- 

 tled to find the pretty dove sitting quietly over 

 our heads, looking down at us out of her gentle 

 eyes. It was a pleasant surprise. She let me 

 talk to her, but when I had dismounted Billy 

 tramped around so uneasily that the saddle caught 

 in the oak branches and scared the poor bird 

 away. I had hardly seated myself when the jaunty 

 little gnatcatcher came flying over and lit in an 



