BIRD NOTES. 77 



circling pirouette he waltzes about his little brown mate down 

 there in the grass, will not recognize the portrait? What does 

 the saucy banterer say to the startled sparrow " warbling his wed- 

 ding tune " in supposed seclusion ? 



" Balancing on a blackberry brier, 

 The bobolink sung with his heart on fire: 

 ' Chink ? If you wish to kiss her, do ! 

 Do it, do it, you coward you ! 

 Kiss her ! kiss kiss her ! who will see ? 

 Only we three, we three, we three !' " 



And when the little pair sought a safer retreat: 



"Again beside them the tempter went. 

 Keeping the thread of his argument : 

 ' Kiss her ! kiss her ! chink-a-chee chee. 

 I'll not mention it ; don't mind me ! 

 I'll be sentinel I can see 

 All around from this tall birch-tree !" 

 But ah ! they noted, nor deemed it strange, 

 In his rollicking chorus a trifling change. 

 ' Do it, do it !' with might and main 

 Warbled the telltale 4 do it again ." " 



Bryant has given us a hint of Bob's apparel : 



" Robert of Lincoln is gayly drest, 

 Wearing a bright black wedding-coat ; 

 White are his shoulders and white his crest." 



A "wedding" dress, in poetic fancy as well as in fact; for the 

 full-grown fledgling in the tussock nest would scarcely recognize 

 the courtly sire of its pin-feather days. This festive costume is 

 assumed only at the mating season, a sort of sympathetic outward 

 expression of the ornamental vocal accomplishment, for both sub- 

 side in company. 



During the month of July the sobering process is conspicuous, 



