ECCENTRICITY OF A SINGER 43 



one note " shaken," but the imitator gave 

 the three as distinct and staccato as if each 

 one were a word. Again, the white-throat 

 is a modest singer, but this stranger allowed 

 us to level our glasses at him, move about, 

 and talk, and he was as unconcerned through 

 all as a robin. Everything indicated that he 

 was a mere mocker, and not a good one at 

 that. 



We noted all these points carefully, dis- 

 cussing them freely and comparing our im- 

 pressions, before the bird flew. This time he 

 alighted farther off, on a taller tree, but the 

 light was in our favor and my glass was good. 

 I saw at once that his throat was white, and 

 when, in one of his pauses, he put his head 

 down to arrange the plumage of his breast, 

 conspicuous stripes over the crown came into 

 view, and I was startled. In a moment he 

 confirmed my sudden suspicion by turning 

 his back to us, thereby showing his sparrow 

 colors. 



He was a white-throat himself ! 



I was more surprised than if I had found 

 him anything else. If he were one of the 

 family, whence this astonishing eccentricity ? 



