THE BLUEBIRD. 255 



above her on the barn, along came a boy 

 with one of those wicked elastic slings, and 

 cut him down with a pebble. There he lay 

 like a bit of sky fallen upon the grass. The 

 widowed bird seemed to understand what 

 had happened, and without much ado disap- 

 peared next day in quest of another mate. 

 How she contrived to make her wants known 

 without trumpeting them about, I am unable 

 to say. But I presume the birds have a way 

 of advertising that answers the purpose well. 

 Maybe she trusted to luck to fall in with 

 some stray bachelor or bereaved male, who 

 would undertake to console a widow of one 

 day's standing. I will say, in passing, that 

 there are no bachelors from choice among 

 the birds ; they are all rejected suitors, 

 while old maids are entirely unknown. 

 There is a Jack to every Gill, and some to 

 boot. 



The males being more exposed by their 

 song and plumage, and by being the pio- 

 neers in migrating, seemed to be slightly in 

 excess, lest the supply fall short, and hence 

 it sometimes happens that a few are bache- 

 lors perforce ; there are not females enough 

 to go around, but before the season is over 

 there are sure to be some vacancies in the 



