DOTS IN FEATHERS. 153 



about his head, his general color is more greenish 

 than that of the golden-crowned, and to my eyes 

 his form is not quite so well-proportioned, being a 

 little over-heavy in front. 



Then you must look for a minium-ied or ruby 

 patch in the centei' of his crown. But hold ! It 

 is said by some ornithologists that our kinglet 

 must be two years old before he dares to put this 

 vermilion ornament upon his head. Perhaps he 

 does not become of age until then. I wonder 

 whether that is the age at which citizens of the 

 kinglet republic are allowed to vote ? 



I wish you could hear the saucy and varied little 

 song of the ruby-crown. Not only in the spring 

 have I heard it, but also in the autumn, as, for ex- 

 ample, on the seventeenth and twentieth of Octo- 

 ber. " Ching^ ching^ cMng-a-lang^ clia-cha-cha-cha I " 

 he warbles, looking at you as if he expected an 

 outburst of applause. 



I cannot tell you how much I like this Tom 

 Thumb in pinions. Mau}^, many times I have 

 stood in the woods beneath the overarching bushes, 

 where the shadows were deep, and held converse 

 with him, while he hopped about only a few feet 

 away. No bird has a more knowing and intelligent 

 eye. He seems to know that I would not harm 



