command. “Attention! Front, face! Forward, 
march!” and the company moves off. At break 
of day, from the treetop, again he shouts to the 
sleeping hosts, “Attention! Into line! March!” 
and it is fitting that he should be made grand 
marshal of these opening spring days. 
The two other birds of the trio are different. 
The bluebird is not a bird to command, nor is 
the songsparrow. They first solicit, then woo, 
attention. It is not difficult to gain access to 
their hearts. Bluebird, gentle and confiding; 
songsparrow, cheerful and trusting, have noth- 
ing coarse in their natures; and are as unlike 
robin as blue sky and sunshine are unlike an 
electric flash. 
And yet a more harmonious trio would be 
hard to find in all birdland. Robin, at early 
morn, briskly snaps us up and marches us quick 
time through the busy part of the day to noon, 
when we find songsparrow, who cheerily sees us 
along a sunny way to the quiet precincts of blue- 
bird, and the day ends and the night passes. 
March 28, 1908. 
19 
