72 BIRD PARADISE 



ladies of the house have a cold note or two, bat 

 no song. It occurs to me that it would be an ad- 

 mirable scheme if the females could put the song 

 into shape and use it through the long vacation. 

 But it is not for me to regulate their matters. 

 Among their own affairs their knowledge of what 

 is best for them is far in advance of any that the 

 parson has, and their wisdom is to use the best 

 they can command. 



Bobolinks reached us on the 12th of May. 

 Here and there the bird had been seen two or 

 three days before, but the full company did not 

 appear until the 12th. I was out in my garden 

 early, just in time to welcome the advance guard 

 as they alighted from their aerial trolley car. 

 Their salutation to the parson was given in 

 song, every one apparently doing his best in mak- 

 ing the greeting. What an outburst of rattling 

 notes the song is ! I wonder how the fellow ever 

 gets it into shape twice alike. But he does, and 

 it certainly, in some respects, has no rival among 

 bird songs. I notice that the bird's location 

 when singing has something to do with the finish 

 of the song. When he sends forth the music on 

 the wing he often puts in a note or two that do 



