IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 93 



to overtake me before I could reach the bottom. 

 I wondered whether the architects really pos- 

 sessed an eye for color, or had only stumbled 

 upon this elegant bit of decoration. On the 

 whole, it seemed more charitable to conclude the 

 former ; and not only more charitable, but more 

 scientific as well. For, if I understand the mat- 

 ter aright, Mr. Darwin and his followers have 

 settled upon the opinion that birds do display 

 an unmistakable fondness for bright tints ; that, 

 indeed, the males of many species wear brilliant 

 plumage for no other reason than that their 

 mates prefer them in that dress. Moreover, if 

 a bird in New South Wales adorns her bower 

 with shells and other ornaments, why may not 

 our little Northern darling beautify her nest 

 with such humbler" materials as her surround- 

 ings offer? On reflection, I am more and more 

 convinced that the birds knew what they were 

 doing ; probably the female, the moment she 

 discovered the moss, called to her mate, " Oh, 

 look, bow lovely ! Do, my dear, let 's line our 

 nest with it ! " 



This artistic structure was found on the an- 

 niversary of the battle of Bunker Hill, a day 

 which I had been celebrating, as best I could, 

 by climbing the highest hill in New England. 

 Plunging into the woods within fifty yards of 

 the Crawford House, I had gone up and up, 



