62 WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIKDS. 



us, tad rudely turned our brutal arms against them to drive 

 them forth from the land. 



The next spring, a new wonder filled the air. A melody 

 such as I had never heard before, burst in clear and over- 

 whelming raptures from the meadows where I had first seen 

 the graceful stranger with the white-barred wings last year. 

 I hastened thither, but left my gun behind this time, for I 

 remembered that eventful twelfth of June, and that, too with 

 a feeling not entirely unmingled of awful respect for the mar- 

 velous sagacity that could have so cooly baffled while it led 

 me through that wild and crazy race. The fact is, I never 

 have, to this day, got over that affair, and am not sure that, 

 to this moment, I have not a sort of superstition with regard 

 to its events, and the weird creature that caused them. 



I saw it now leaping up from its favorite perch on a tree 

 top, much in the manner I had observed before ; but now it 

 was in a different mood, and seemed to mount, thus spirit- 

 like, upon the wilder ecstacies, and floating, fall on the sub- 

 siding cadence of that passionate song it poured into the list- 

 ening ear of love for, I could see his mate, with fainter 

 bars across her wings, where she sat upon a thorn-bush near 

 and listened. 



When this magnificent creature commenced to sing, the 

 very air was burdened with a thousand different notes ; but 

 his voice rose clear and melodiously loud above them all 

 as I listened one song after another ceased suddenly, until, 

 in a few minutes, and before I could realize that it was so, I 

 found myself hearkening to that solitary voice. This is a pos- 

 itive fact ! I looked around me in astonishment. What ! 

 Are they awed ? but his song only now grew more exulting, 

 and, as if feeling his triumph, he bounded yet higher with 

 each new gush, and, in swift and quivering raptures dived, 

 skimmed and floated round, round, then rose to fall again 

 more boldly on the billowy storm of sound. 



No wonder the other birds were silent, to listen, for, 

 one after one he hurled the notes of each upon its ear so 



