THE KOMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



wooded hill, as yet shrouded in darkness, pro- 

 ceeded the rich, mellow, but broken song of the 

 hopping-dick-thrush, closely resembling that of 

 our own blackbird. Now the whole east was 

 ruddy, and the rugged points and trees on the 

 summit of the mountain-ridge, interrupting the 

 flood of crimson light, produced the singularly 

 beautiful phenomenon of a series of rose-coloured 

 beams, diverging from the eastern quarter, and 

 spreading, like an expanded fan, across the whole 

 arch of heaven, each ray dilating as it advanced. 

 The harsh screams of the clucking- hen came up 

 from a gloomy gorge, and from the summit of the 

 mountain were faintly heard the lengthened flute- 

 like notes, in measured cadence, of the solitaire. 

 Then mocking-birds all around broke into song, 

 pouring forth their rich gushes and powerful 

 bursts of melody, with a profusion that filled the 

 ear, and overpowered all the other varied voices, 

 which were by this time too numerous to be sepa- 

 rately distinguished, but which all helped to 

 swell the morning concert of woodland music. 



A traveller in the mountain-regions of Venezu- 

 ela has described in the following words his own 

 experience of a similar scene : — 



'"That morning's moonlight ride along the sum- 

 mits of the Sierra of Las Cocuyzas, was certainly 

 one of the most enjoyable I ever remember. It 

 was almost like magic, when, as the sun began to 

 approach the horizon, the perfect stillness of the 

 forests beneath was gradually broken by the oc- 

 casional note of some early riser of the winged 

 tribe, till, at length, as the day itself began to 

 break, the whole forest seemed to be suddenly 

 warmed into life, sending forth choir after choir of 

 gorgeous-plumaged songsters, each after his own 

 manner to swell the chorus of greeting (a discor- 

 26 



