BABIES AT THEIR MUSIC-LESSONS 91 



hungry mouth, till he actually reduced that 

 bantling to silence, and then he slipped away, 

 returned to his tree-top, and resumed his 

 lovely " tee-tee-twe-e-e-tum." 



Somewhat later I heard the young black- 

 throats at their practice, droll, quavering 

 little attempts to imitate the musical, incisive 

 song of their father. They soon mastered 

 the notes, but the spirit was as yet far be- 

 yond them. 



Other baby-cries were all about, for these 

 were hungry days. Juncoes in their light 

 brown suits and delicate spotted bibs, and 

 chickadees in the dress of their elders 

 shouted and called from the old spruce, and 

 always over all "the gossip of swallows 

 filled the air," barn-swallow babies with 

 their squeaky calls, tree-swallows with their 

 louder two-note cries, and the parents of 

 both species teaching, encouraging, and feed- 

 ing on the wing, preparing their little fam- 

 ilies for the long journey so soon to be 

 taken. 



This happy life went on till almost at the 

 end of July a heavy fog swept in one even- 

 ing from the ocean, and when the next day 



