206 WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIKDS. 



explaining to them that it was a necessity of science and its 

 accompanying art. 



The buggy was stopped, and out I sprang. He was but a 

 short distance off, swimming and bounding on " the billows 

 of sweet sound." My wife said, as I left her : 



" Be sure you get him, he is a splendid creature, just the 

 specimen that I want." 



" Yes, you shall see I" said I, faintly. I walked up towards 

 him. He did not observe me, he was too much absorbed in his 

 hymn. I was now within twenty paces of the low pear tree, 

 yet he soared and floated unobservant of the stalking murder 

 in his front ; he knew no evil in this hospitable land, and 

 music had been " plate of mail " to him. I pointed my gun 

 at him three times, but always I would never see the end of 

 the barrel, for my eyes grew thick with tears. I could not 

 see him, he was " hidden in the light "of music. 



I tried, in the desperation of my will, to pull the trigger 

 in that direction, but the gun would not go off. I could not 

 make it go, and found that somehow, it was only on half- 

 cock. Even then, after it was on full-cock, and the beauti- 

 ful creature undauntedly floated and sang, I found another pre- 

 text for dodging my boasted inexorableness. I saw the fe- 

 male fly into the same tree, though lower down, and came 

 to the instantaneous conclusion that as they must be building 

 there, it would be an unpardonable profanity for me to shoot 

 the male under such circumstances. I went back to the 

 buggy, and although my wife attempted hysterically, to keep 

 up her bantering tone, and vowed that if I did not shoot her 

 a mocking bird, she would do it herself, because " she must 

 have it I" yet I felt that her voice trembled in this assertion 

 of the inevitable requisitions of art, and not another word 

 was spoken between us as we drove back to our hotel. 



A week had passed, and still her studies made it more ap- 

 parent that we must have a fresh slain specimen, to enable 

 her to complete the drawing contemplated. 



At last, upon one of my well days, we were transported to 



