music bursts within them." Before they knew 

 that I was near I rarely saw one make this sing- 

 ing dive into the air ; but as soon as they were 

 acquainted with my presence they appeared on 

 every hand. I had not gone fifty feet into 

 their reedy domain when I began to catch a 

 furious berating. The knives of the mowing- 

 machine up in the meadow went no faster nor 

 sharper than these unseen tongues in the reeds. 

 Suddenly a bit of brown fury dashed into view 

 near me, spattered the air thick with song- 

 notes, and, as if veiled by this cloud of melody, 

 it turned on its head and dived back, chatter- 

 ing of all that was seen to the other furies in 

 the reeds. 



Does any one believe that exhibition to be 

 an explosion of pure song— the exaltation of 

 unmixed joy? If ever the Ninth Command- 

 ment was broken, it was broken here. 



This uncontrollable emotion, this shower of 

 song, is but a cloak to the singer's fear and 

 curiosity. He wants to know where I am and 

 what I am about. I once knew a little dog 

 who was so afraid of the dark that he would 

 run barking all the way to the barn when put 

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