30 TRAMPS WITH AN ENTHUSIAST. 



delightful then to hear his noisy challenge, his 

 gleeful " laugh," his jolly song. We may indeed 

 rhapsodize over our rare, fine singers, but after 

 all we could better spare one and all of them 

 than our two most common songsters, our faith- 

 ful stand-bys, upon whom we can always count 

 to preach to us the gospel of contentment, cheer- 

 fulness, and patience, the dear common robin 

 and the blessed little song sparrow. No weather 

 is so hot that they will not pour out their evan- 

 gel to us ; no rain so wet, no wind so strong, 

 that these two will not let their sweet voices be 

 heard. Blessed, I say, be the common birds, liv- 

 ing beside our dwellings, bringing up their young 

 under our very eyes, accepting our advances in 

 a spirit of friendliness, coming earliest, staying 

 latest, and keeping up their song even through 

 the season of feeding, when many become silent. 

 These two are indispensable to us ; these two 

 should be dearest to us ; these, above all others, 

 should our children be taught to respect and 

 love. 



The robin ceased, and we passed on. One 

 more voice saluted us from the last house of the 

 village : a wren, whose nest was placed in a 

 bracket under the roof, sang his gushing little 

 ditty, and then in a moment we were in a differ- 

 ent bird world. From one side came the bobo- 

 link's voice, 



