Pilgrims of the Night 



arrived in a night, and stationed themselves 

 before dawn in their accustomed places in 

 the great orchestra, ready to greet the sun 

 with a glorious burst of song when he 

 should lift his face above the hills. 



In spite of all vicissitudes of weather, 

 we may look for our little feathered friends 

 upon almost exactly the same dates, year 

 after year. I find that my calendar of bird 

 arrivals varies almost inappreciably from 

 season to season. I have the robin down 

 (for Massachusetts) March I5th to 2Oth, 

 and seldom fail to see or hear several of 

 them thus early. The bluebirds and song 

 sparrows come next, March 23d to 28th; 

 then blackbirds and fox-sparrows, April ist 

 to 5th. These are the very early comers. 

 They do not belong to the main body of the 

 great army, which arrives late in April and 

 early in May. 



I find that the golden robin is the most 

 punctual -and unvarying of all the migrants 

 I have observed. His date for Boston and 

 vicinity is invariably May loth. If that day 

 is sunny and favorable, I am almost sure to 

 hear him somewhere in the elms about 

 but not before them. The coincidence 



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