144 MATESHIP WITH BIRDS 



listen to the whistle of invitation with a detached 

 air, as who should say: 



"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" 



This is a typical note taken on one of those 

 Autumn days: 



Heard a slight, sweet note in the gully, and pre- 

 sently found another of the remarkable female 

 Whistlers. These birds are evidently all of the one 

 mind, in that each is always alone, always in a tim- 

 bered gully, talkative only on odd occasions, and 

 alternatively curious and shy. In two hours the 

 bird emitted but one rich note, quite different from 

 all others I have heard. 



Two weeks later, on the morning of a clear June 

 day, I was intently watching the curious spectacle 

 of an arboreal Shrike-Tit working on the ground, 

 when the shrill "Peeeee!" note caused me to look 

 up quickly. There, in all his glory, was a brilliant 

 male Golden-breast, darting from tree to tree 

 around the female Whistler of the locality. It was 

 as though the fire of Spring was already in the air. 

 "Seeeee !" he called, in a prolonged, ecstatic note, as 

 he flaunted his gay colors for admiration; then, as 

 no response was forthcoming, "Be quick, quick, 

 quickl" And still the magnificent indifference was 

 maintained; the small grey bird continued to feed 

 quietly, her whole attitude suggesting the amiable 

 scorn of a Beatrice : "I wonder that you will still be 

 talking, Signior ; nobody marks you !" 



For several minutes this little comedy was kept 

 up, the beauty-bird dashing all around the object 

 of his affection, and uttering the shrill note and the 



