A RARE SURPRISE 5 



peace, no chippies squabbled in the grass, no 

 tireless red-eyed vireo fretted the air with 

 its endless iteration, and what was not 

 half so pleasing no catbirds, orioles, blue- 

 birds, goldfinches, or flycatchers could be 

 numbered among the residents. 



Juncoes and chickadees scrambled and 

 frolicked over the old spruce, white-throated 

 sparrows the aristocrats of the family 

 chanted their solemn hymn from the under- 

 brush one side ; thrushes sang and called 

 from the tall trees at the back, and it was 

 above all the resort of warblers, the chosen 

 home of these dainty small birds. 



I had spent one summer in this retreat, and 

 on arriving there the next time I anticipated 

 no more than renewed acquaintance with 

 my old neighbors. But a rare surprise 

 awaited me. Others of the feathered tribes 

 had discovered the charms of the spot, and 

 were in possession when I reached it. 



At dawn the first morning, listening as 



usual for the familiar songs of the morning, 



the recitative of the olive-back, the far-off 



hymn of the hermit, and the hearty little 



strains of the miscalled warblers, suddenly 



