EXCITEMENT IN THE FAMILY. 153 



usual walk one evening, down the carriage drive 

 to the gate, I found two pairs of bobolinks on 

 one tree; the two mothers with food in their 

 mouths, evidently intended for somebody down 

 in the grass; and the two fathers, very much 

 disturbed at my appearance. They greeted me 

 with severe and reproving "chacks," and finally 

 favored me with the most musical call I have 

 heard from the sweet-voiced bird of the meadow. 

 It was like "kee-leel " in loud and rich tones, 

 and it was many times repeated. 



I assured them that I had no wish to disturb 

 their little ones; though, if I had been able to 

 lift the whole grassy cover to peep at the two 

 small families hidden there, I fear I should have 

 yielded to the temptation. 



Our bird had been somewhat erratic in mak- 

 ing his home far from his feUows, — so social 

 are these birds even in nesting-time; but now 

 he was joined by more of his kind from the 

 meadows below, and to the beautiful waving 

 carpet of green, dotted here and there with great 

 bunches of black-eyed Susans and devil's paint- 

 brushes (what names!), and sprinkled aU over 

 with daisies, now beginning to look a little 

 disheveled and wild, was added the tantalizing 

 interest of dozens of little folk running about 

 under its shelter. 



The next week brought to the meadow what 



