20 THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. 



chattering ; then that long, loud call, taken 

 up by first one, then another, as they sat 

 about upon the naked limbs ; anon, a sort of 

 wild, rollicking laughter, intermingled with 

 various cries, yelps, and squeals, as if some 

 incident had excited their mirth and ridi- 

 cule. Whether this social hilarity and bois- 

 terousness is in celebration of the pairing 

 or mating ceremony, or whether it is only 

 a sort of annual " house-warming " common 

 among high-holes on resuming their summer 

 quarters, is a question upon which I reserve 

 my judgment. 



Unlike most of his kinsmen, the golden- 

 wing prefers the fields and the borders of the 

 forest to the deeper seclusion of the woods, 

 and hence, contrary to the habit of his tribe, 

 obtains most of his subsistence from the 

 ground, probing it for ants and crickets. 

 He is not quite satisfied with being a wood- 

 pecker. He courts the society of the robin 

 and the finches, abandons the trees for the 

 meadow, and feeds eagerly upon berries and 

 grain. What may be the final upshot of 

 this course of living is a question worthy 

 the attention of Darwin. Will his taking to 

 the ground and his pedestrian feats result in 

 lengthening his legs, his feeding upon berries 



