220 THE SOLITAIRE. 



bird stood on a perch very near my head, so 

 near I could not turn to look at him, when, with- 

 out a moment's hesitation, without an instant's 

 preliminary practice, he burst out into a glori- 

 ous, heavenly, perfect song that struck me dumb 

 and breathless. Not daring to move hand or 

 foot, yet wanting some record of the wonderful 

 aria, I jotted down, in the page I was writing, 

 a few of the opening notes ; I could re-write my 

 page, but I could not bear to lose the music. 

 Three times, at intervals of perhaps one minute, 

 he uttered the same marvelous song, and then I 

 never heard it again. After all, I had not a 

 record of it, for though it was deliberate and 

 distinct, at every repetition I was spellbound, 

 and could not separate it into tones. 



Though I should live to be a thousand years 

 old, and visit every country under heaven, I am 

 sure I should never hear such a rapturous burst 

 of song again, 



" Low and soft as the soothing fall 



Of the fountains of Eden ; sweet as the call 

 Of angels over the jasper wall 

 That welcomes a soul to heaven." 



After the foregoing study was written, Mr. 

 Frederic A. Ober kindly placed at my disposal 

 his unpublished notes upon another solitaire, 

 the siffleur montagne, or mountain whistler. 

 He had the bird in confinement for some time, 



