196 LIVING CREATURES. 



caught him in the act. Red-head had found a better 

 drum than a hollow tree ; he was drumming on the 

 glass knob, or insulator, of the telegraph pole. 



Several times he flew away and as often returned, 

 each time beating the ringing tones from the glass, evi- 

 dently as happy as a small boy with a new drum. Had 

 I known, when I was a boy, about this musical trick in 

 Red-head, I should not, as I frequently did, have left 

 his charmed mate a widow. 



48. THE CANARY. 



AFTER the death of my wood-lark I was so grieved 

 at the loss, that my father bought me a pair of cana- 

 ries, the first of these birds I had ever seen. I was 

 delighted, charmed, and never weary, for at least two 

 hours, of contemplating the bright yellow dress of the 

 male, and the pale, primrose costume of his mate. 



It was spring-time when they were given to me, if 

 I remember rightly, and the cage was hung in the 

 window of the nursery. How splendidly that bird 

 sang! The nightingales in the little beechen copse at 

 the foot of the garden, were as nothing compared to 

 him, I thought; and very likely he sang louder than 

 they did. After a time, my mother put a little wicker 

 basket lined with flannel, into the cage, and in a few 

 days four or five little pale-blue eggs, speckled with 

 brown, were laid. 



The young were hatched in due time, to the great 



