London to John O Groat's. 33 



field and forest, and give them names their hearts loved 

 in the old home land beyond the sea ! They did not 

 consult Linnaeus, nor any musty Latin genealogy of 

 Old "World birds, at the christening of these songsters. 

 There was a good family resemblance in many cases. 

 The blustering partridge, brooding over her young in 

 the thicket, was very nearly like the same bird in Eng- 

 land. For the mellow-throated thrush of the old land 

 they found a mate in the new, of the same size, color, 

 and general habits, though less musical. The black- 

 bird was nearly the same in many respects, though the 

 smaller American wore a pair of red epaulettes. The 

 swallows had their coat tails cut after the same old 

 English pattern, and built their nests after the same 

 model, and twittered under the eaves with the same 

 ecstacy, and played the same antics in the air. But 

 the two dearest home-birds of the fatherland had no 

 family relations nor counterparts in America ; and the 

 pilgrim fathers and their children could not make their 

 humble homes happy without the lark and the robin, 

 at least in name and association ; so they looked about 

 them for substitutes. There was a plump, full-chested 

 bird, in a chocolate-colored vest, with bluish dress coat, 

 that would mount the highest tree-top in early spring, 

 and play his flute by the hour for very joy to see the 

 snow melt and the buds swell again. There was such 



