BIRD PARADISE -jj 



years. They located in the large maples just 

 north of the chnrch, and spent several minutes 

 in a sort of conclave which was lively, and 

 which possibly the birds understood, I was 

 curious to know the number of black fellows in 

 the party and counted them off until the record 

 read 135. Their free and easy way of doing 

 things was most noticeable. I could not discover 

 that the presiding offtcer, if there was one, had 

 the least authority in the assembly. They all 

 talked at the same time and apparently under- 

 stood one another. The language they used is 

 one of the primitive tongues that I suppose has 

 been in vogue without any perceptible change 

 for hundreds of years. The smooth flowing song 

 that followed seemed unusually full of the softer 

 notes. I suppose the concert was a succession 

 of set pieces, with their accompanying encores, 

 prima donnas having to do with them, and stars 

 also of the other sex. I watched them for some 

 little time, thinking, perhaps, there might be a 

 clue uncovered somewhere by which I coald 

 divine the real object that called so many of the 

 dusky fellows together. I fancied half a dozen 

 good reasons for their action, but had no way of 

 determining whether any one of them had the 

 slightest application to the case in hand. Off 



