52 DECEMBER OUT-OF-DOORS. 



degrees above zero, and a strong wind blow- 

 ing. Such weather would drive the birds 

 under shelter. The next forenoon, there- 

 fore, I betook myself to a hill covered thickly 

 with pines and cedars. Here I soon ran 

 upon several robins, feeding upon the savin 

 berries, and in a moment more was surprised 

 by a tseep so loud and emphatic that I thought 

 at once of a fox sparrow. Then I looked 

 for a song sparrow, badly startled, per- 

 haps, but found to my delight a white- 

 throat. He was on the ground, but at my 

 approach flew into a cedar. Here he drew 

 in his head and sat perfectly still, the pic- 

 ture of discouragement. I could not blame 

 him, but was glad, an hour later, to find 

 him again on the ground, picking up his 

 dinner. I leveled my glass at him and 

 whistled his Peabody song (the simplest of 

 all bird songs to imitate), but he moved not 

 a feather. Apparently he had never heard 

 it before ! He was still there in the after- 

 noon, and I had hopes of his remaining 

 through the winter ; but I never could find 

 him afterwards. Ten days prior to this I 

 had gone to Longwood on a special hunt for 

 this same sparrow, remembering a certain 



