NATURE AND HER HARMONIES. 11 



when, on rising among from the grass and flying away from 

 the observer, they display the pure black and white of their 

 wings and body." 



That love-song of Kob's has been greatly admired, and 

 several efforts have been made by distinguished amateurs to 

 set its music to words. 



Nobody has made much of it, except our Irving, and as 

 we cannot quote him here, we shall not attempt to do it our- 

 self! for the truth is, Bob is such a rattling, voluble, reck- 

 less, mad, melodious ranter, that an attempt to translate him 

 is almost out of the question indeed, it would take a folio 

 of MS. to give all the little cataract of tender epithets that 

 pours in liquid gushes from his blithe throat, as he goes flut 

 tering and wagging up and down from one tall mullien top 

 to another ! 



But Eobert is in love, and sober people should not judge 

 him hardly if they loved any one heartily as he loves Mrs. 

 Mary Linkum hid away yonder in the grass, brooding over 

 those five speckled eggs and their hearts were as light as 

 his, they would be garrulous too that is all 1 Ah, Bobby I 

 Bobby ! we fear you are but a graceless scamp at last to 

 think I that after such a mirthful life of musical lunacy, you 

 should turn freebooter before the year is out, and get your- 

 self shot at. Mr. Audubon tells a sad tale of your .after do- 

 ings. "We have misgivings you're a dissipated, rollicking 

 bird, at best, Eob ! 



" No sooner have the young left the nest, than they and 

 their parents associate with other families, so that by the end 

 of July large flocks begin to appear. They seem to come 

 from every portion of the Eastern States, and already resort 

 to the borders of the rivers and estuaries to roost. Their 

 songs have ceased, their males have lost their gay livery, and 

 have assumed the yellow hue of the females and young, al- 

 though the latter are more firm in their tints than the old 

 males, and the whole begin to return southward, slowly and 

 with a single dink, sufficient, however, to give intimation of 



