SCARLET TANAGER. 213 



tinued his benevolent offices the whole day, roosting at night 

 as before. On the third or fourth day, he appeared extremely 

 solicitio.us for the liberation of his charge, using every expres- 

 sion of distressful anxiety, and every call and invitation that 

 nature had put in his power for him to come out. This was too 

 much for the feelings of my venerable friend; he procured a 

 ladder, and mounting to the spot where the bird was suspend- 

 ed, opened the cage, took out the prisoner, and restored him 

 to liberty and to his parent, who with notes of great exultation 

 accompanied his flight to the woods. The happiness of my good 

 friend was scarcely less complete, and showed itself in his be- 

 nevolent countenance; and I could not refrain saying to myself 

 If such sweet sensations can be derived from a simple cir- 

 cumstance of this kind, how exquisite, how unspeakably rap- 

 turous must the delight of those individuals have been, who 

 have rescued their fellow beings from death, chains and impri- 

 sonment, and restored them to the arms of their friends and 

 relations! Surely in such godlike actions virtue is its own most 

 abundant reward. 



