TKflben (Brass is Green 



ties singing at once. Of course the trained musi- 

 cian would have shuddered and talked of discord, 

 but I am willing to take all such sounds as they 

 come, and extract their sweets when there is a 

 chance to recall them; but still I do wish the 

 great crested flycatcher were mute, and the rob- 

 ins a little less noisy. These latter are so like 

 tiresome people we meet, who are heard the more 

 the less they have to say. Conceited people never 

 admit that silence is golden. 



The prominent birds of the landscape, just as I 

 looked up, were those beautiful little finches, the 

 indigo birds. There were five in full view, and 

 every one was singing. I recognized them entirely 

 by their voices, for look as I would, from this point 

 and that, I could detect no blue color. It often 

 happens that what we would say were conspicu- 

 ously colored birds, such as this one and the car- 

 dinal red-bird, are really plain and blend with their 

 surroundings. It is, I think, the yellow and white 

 or the jetty black birds that can never be mistaken. 

 Has the red or blue feather a trick of so turning in 

 the sunlight that its brilliancy is lost? I have 

 seen a redbird look black as ink, and the blue- 

 bird as dingy as a sparrow. 



There is excellent opportunity for original work 

 in this study of animal coloration. Much has been 

 done, it is true, but then the authors who have 

 treated of the subject have not come to quite the 

 same conclusions. This is good reason for the 

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