A PERSONAGE IN BROWN 177 



Having these pleasant experiences with 

 the possibilities of a window, I looked with 

 interest, on this occasion, as I said, to 

 see who might be my neighbor. 



I found myself immediately an object of 

 interest to a small personage dressed in sober 

 brown and standing on a half-dead tree near 

 the house. He greeted me with a quick, em- 

 phatic " phit ! " jerked his tail, and plainly 

 resented the opening of a window into his 

 domain. I saw at once, with regret, that I 

 had pitched my tent beside the smallest of 

 the flycatchers, the least flycatcher, or chebec. 



I say with regret, for two reasons. First, 

 the presence of one of these birds seriously 

 interferes with the morning service of song, 

 one of the most cherished pleasures of 

 bird-study, for he takes it upon himself to 

 regulate the singers of his own vicinity, and 

 though in fair fight almost any one of the 

 sweet songsters could conquer his place, che- 

 bec would make it extremely disagreeable for 

 him. 



Since the 'world is wide and there are 

 plenty of nice places, why should a bird rush 

 into a disputed corner ? No bird feeling the 



