WAYS OF NATURE 



to look upon, from my neighbor s field where they 

 obtained the material, to the tree that held the nest. 

 A gentle, gliding flight, hurried but hushed, as it 

 were, and expressive of privacy and loving preoccu 

 pation. The male carried no material; apparently 

 he was simply the escort of his mate; but he had an 

 air of keen and joyous interest. He never failed to 

 attend her each way, keeping about a yard behind 

 her, and flying as if her thought were his thought 

 and her wish his wish. I have rarely seen anything 

 so pretty in bird life. The movements of all our 

 thrushes except the robin give one this same sense 

 of harmony, nothing sharp or angular or abrupt- 

 Their gestures are as pleasing as their notes. 



One evening, while seated upon my porch, I had 

 convincing proof that musical or song contests do 

 take place among the birds. Two wood thrushes 

 who had nests near by sat on the top of a dead tree 

 and pitted themselves against each other in song 

 for over half an hour, contending like champions in 

 a game, and certainly affording the rarest treat in 

 wood thrush melody I had ever had. They sang 

 and sang with unwearied spirit and persistence, 

 now and then changing position or facing in another 

 direction, but keeping within a few feet of each 

 other. The rivalry became so obvious and was so 

 interesting that I finally made it a point not to take 

 my eyes from the singers. The twilight deepened 

 till their forms began to grow dim ; then one of the 

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