RAPTUROUS SINGING. 257 



Wherever he might be, he sat all puffed out, 

 silent and motionless, evidently just waiting. 

 Sometimes he took occasion to plume himself 

 very carefully, oftener he did nothing, but held 

 himself in readiness to answer any call from the 

 plum-tree, and to accompany the sitter out to 

 dinner. 



This bird was an enchanting singer. During 

 courtship, and while his mate was sitting, he 

 often poured out a song that was nothing less 

 than an ecstasy. It was delivered on the wing, 

 and not in his usual wave-like manner of flight, 

 but sailing slowly around and around, very much 

 as a bobolink does, singing rapturously, without 

 pause or break. The quality of the music, too, 

 was strikingly like bobolink notes, and the whole 

 performance was exquisite. 



The little sitter soon became accustomed to 

 my presence. When out of her nest, she some- 

 times came to the tree over my head, and an- 

 swered when I spoke to her. In this way we 

 carried on quite a long conversation, I imitating, 

 so far as I was able, her own charming "sweet," 

 and she replying in varied utterances, which, 

 alas ! were Greek to me. 



I longed to watch the lovely and loving pair 

 through their nesting ; to see their rapture over 

 their nestlings, their tender care and training, 

 and the first flight of the goldfinch babies. But 



