BIRD SONGS AND BIRD TALK 



I MENTIONED a fortnight ago a flock of half 

 a dozen purple finches (linnets) seen and 

 heard conversing softly among themselves 

 in some roadside savin trees on the 29th of 

 January. They must be passing the winter 

 somewhere not far away, I ventured to 

 guess. " Within a month," I added, " they 

 will be singing, taking the winds of March 

 with music." 



This forenoon (March 5) I had walked 

 up the same pleasant by-road, meaning to 

 follow it for a mile or two, but finding my- 

 self insufficiently shod for so deep a slush, 

 I turned back after going only a little way. 

 It was too bad I should have been so im- 

 provident, I said to myself ; but accident is 

 often better than the best-laid plan, and so 

 it was now. As I neared the bunch of ce- 

 dars which I have looked into day after 

 day as I have passed, hoping to find the lin- 



