44 A-BIRDING ON A BRONCO. 



over, presumably to arrange the eggs ; perhaps 

 she and her mate had different views as to their 

 proper positions. The next time I visited the 

 gnats, she acted as if she really could not make 

 up her mind to settle down to brooding on such a 

 beautiful morning. The fog had cleared away 

 and the air was fresh and full of life ; goldfinches 

 and lazuli buntings were singing merrily, and 

 light-hearted vireos were shouting chick-a-de- 

 chick'-de-villet' from the brush. How much pleas- 

 anter it would be for such an airy fairy to go off 

 for a race with her mate than to settle down de- 

 murely tucked into a cup ! " Tsang," she cried 

 impatiently as she flew up to catch a fly. She 

 flirted about the branches, whipped up in front of 

 the nest, could n't make up her mind to go in, 

 and flounced off again. But the eggs would get 

 cold if she did n't cover them, so back she came, 

 hopped up on the edge of the nest, and stood 

 twisting and turning, glancing this way and that 

 as though for a fly to chase, till she happened to 

 look down at the eggs ; then she whipped her 

 tail, dropped in and — jumped out again ! 



During the morning when she was away and 

 her mate was waiting for her to come back to 

 ' spell ' him. he too got impatient. He hopped 

 out of the nest crying, " Now here I am, quick, 

 come quick ! " and as he flew off, sang out in his 

 funny little soliloquizing way, tw Well, here I go ; 

 here I go ! " 



