TWO FRAGMENTS. 217 



medley of notes and trills as a sort of accompani- 

 ment to his work. He is an interesting bird, and 

 I should very much like to watch liis antics at his 

 summer home in Labrador and Alaska. 



Surprises are always lying in wait for the dili- 

 gent student of bird-life. One cold, blustering 

 night in the latter part of March, while the wind 

 howled about the house, driving the snow in blind- 

 ing whirls, I really became anxious for my wood- 

 land friends, fearing they might not be able to find 

 shelter from the fierce storm ; and I resolved to go 

 out early the next morning to see how they had 

 fared during the night. No need whatever for 

 anxiety. The birds seem to be able to take care 

 of themselves. When morning came the storm 

 had abated and the sky was clear, but the air was 

 sharp with frost, the ground covered with two 

 inches of snow, and a breastplate of ice lay on the 

 ponds; and yet the sun had not risen — I was in 

 the woods at "peep of dawn" — before the birds' 

 matutinal concert began. I was compelled to en- 

 gage in a good deal of muscular exercise to keep 

 my fingers and toes from getting frost-bitten, so 

 keen was the air ; but to my surprise the cold did 

 not dishearten the birds in the least. The fox 

 sparrows were singing more gayly than I had yet 



