THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. 15 



climb ? After all, we must set it down to 

 the account of Robin's democratic turn ; he 

 is no aristocrat, but one of the people ; and 

 therefore we should expect stability in his 

 workmanship rather than elegance. 



Another April bird, which makes her ap- 

 pearance sometimes earlier and sometimes 

 later than Robin, and whose memory I 

 fondly cherish, is the Phoabe-bird, the pio- 

 neer of the fly-catchers. In the inland farm- 

 ing districts I used to notice her, on some 

 bright morning about Easter-day, proclaim- 

 ing her arrival with much variety of motion 

 and attitude, from the peak of the barn or 

 hay-shed. As yet, you may have heard only 

 the plaintive, homesick note of the bluebird, 

 or the faint trill of the song-sparrow, and 

 Phoebe's clear, vivacious assurance of her 

 veritable bodily presence among us again is 

 welcomed by all ears. At agreeable inter- 

 vals in her lay she describes a circle or an 

 ellipse in the air, ostensibly prospecting for 

 insects, but really, I suspect, as an artistic 

 flourish, thrown in to make up in some way 

 for the deficiency of her musical perform- 

 ance. If plainness of dress indicates powers 

 of song, as it usually does, then Phoebe 

 ought to be unrivalled in musical ability, for 



