BIRD PARADISE 131 



In the bird it may not be less than a virtue and 

 in the man ranks the same if it be rightly used. 



A fine specimen of a male bobolink came into 

 my lawn this week and stayed some little time. 

 During part of the visit he was quite close to the 

 porch and seemed really disposed to make the 

 parson understand that he meant to be especially 

 friendly. I do not recall an instance where a 

 member of this family put himself into such fa- 

 miliar relations with the human brother. If he 

 had his song with him he did not use it, neither 

 did he open his mouth to say anything of why he 

 was making such an unusual visit. From all 

 that he did not say, however, I received the im- 

 pression that the fellow had been grossly mis- 

 used. Very likely a hawk or some wandering 

 fox had visited his home and he only was left to 

 tell the story of wreck and ruin. -What trage- 

 dies there are in bird life ! Every day they occur 

 and it is only a few of the large number that we 

 ever hear of. After an hour or two the fellow 

 went his way, carrying with him my warmest 

 sympathy, though I know it was very doubtful 

 if he knew what it meant. This certainly is al- 

 ways true, that true sympathy extended always 



