THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. 27 



herds, and the warm twilight among the 

 hills, are all subtilely expressed in this 

 song ; this is what they are at last capable 

 of. 



The female builds a plain nest in the open 

 field, without so much as a bush or thistle 

 or tuft of grass to protect it or mark its 

 site ; you may step upon it or the cattle 

 may tread it into the ground. But the dan- 

 ger from this source, I presume, the bird 

 considers less than that from another. 

 Skunks and foxes have a very impertinent 

 curiosity, as Finchie well knows, and a 

 bank or hedge, or a rank growth of grass 

 or thistles, that might promise protection 

 and cover to mouse or bird, these cunning 

 rogues would be apt to explore most thor- 

 oughly. The partridge is undoubtedly ac- 

 quainted with the same process of reason- 

 ing ; for, like the vesper-bird, she, too, nests 

 in open, unprotected places, avoiding all 

 show of concealment, coming from the 

 tangled and almost impenetrable parts of 

 the forest, to the clean, open woods, where 

 she can command all the approaches and 

 fly with equal ease in any direction. 



Another favorite sparrow, but little no- 

 ticed, is the wood or bush sparrow, usually 



