284 A Moy H's MUSIC. 
to it almost daily for several summers. Thus 
far it had invariably been given out in the after- 
noon, and on the wing. To my mind, indeed, 
this was by far its most interesting feature (for 
in itself the song is by no means of surpassing 
beauty), and I had even been careful to record 
the earliest hour at which I had heard it — three 
o'clock P.M. But on the 6th of May aforesaid 
I detected a bird practicing this very tune in 
the morning, and from a perch! I set the fact 
down without hesitation as a wonder, — a purely 
exceptional occurrence, the repetition of which 
was not to be looked for. Anything might hap- 
pen once. Only four days afterwards, however, 
at half-past six in the morning, I had stooped 
to gather some peculiarly bright-colored anem- 
ones (I can see the patch of rosy blossoms at 
this moment, although I am writing by a blaz- 
ing fire while the snow is falling without), when 
my ear caught the same song again ; and keep- 
ing my position, I soon descried the fellow step- 
ping through the grass within ten yards of me, 
caroling as he walked. The hurried warble, 
with the common Weechee, weechee, weechee 
interjected in the midst, was reiterated perhaps 
a dozen times, —the full evening strain, but in 
a rather subdued tone. He was under no excite- 
ment, and appeared to be entirely by himself ; 
in fact, when he had made about half the cir- 
