148 BIRD PARADISE 



Crossing the field near the swamp last week I 

 interviewed several of my friends who make 

 their home in that locality. I passed by the 

 birds for the time being and shook hands espe- 

 cially with a number of friends much smaller in 

 bodily size but none the less dear to one who is 

 in close touch with the children of the common 

 household. A red fly, somewhat larger than the 

 common house-fly, first attracted my attention 

 and managed one way and another to keep it for 

 some little time. Insects of different colors I 

 had seen before, but I did not recall one dressed 

 wholly in bright red. The fellow seemed to be 

 enjoying his surroundings, though they were 

 somewhat tame to the real lover of nature. I 

 got the notion that he had just added to his 

 equipment the pair of wings with which he was 

 furnished, for he appeared to be feeling of them 

 most of the time more as a plaything than a 

 member to be put to actual use. He would run 

 lightly up the spear of grass and balancing nicely 

 on the top spread his wings and wave them. 

 Then he would vary the movement, each new 

 venture no doubt giving him larger confidence 

 in the wider life upon which he had evidently 

 just entered. Finally he pushed his way down 



