FAR AND NEAR 



northward, no doubt making their first flight of 

 ninety miles to Cuba, then continuing by way of 

 the Bahamas to the Florida coast. 



I heard but one bird in the island that touched 

 my heart, and that was the soHtaire, a thrush-hke 

 bird that belongs to the genus Myadestes. It is 

 colored like our catbird, and of about the same 

 size. It has a white mark near the eye ; hence the 

 natives call it " shine eye." It is very shy and se- 

 cluded in its habits, and is often known as the 

 invisible bird. I heard it hundreds of times, but 

 saw it only twice. It is found only in the moun- 

 tains after an altitude of two or three thousand feet 

 is attained. I have never heard a bird-note more 

 expressive of seclusion and wild sohtude, — melo- 

 dious, plaintive, far-heard, it sounds through the 

 twilight forests like a call to some holy rite or fes- 

 tival. It made me think of Keats's "Ode to a 

 Nightingale;" it has the same magic quality, the 

 power of pure music to call up visions of "faery 

 lands forlorn." 



" Forlorn ; the very word is like a bell," 



and there was something bell-like in the " plaintive 

 anthem " of this bird. It usually began with a series 

 of tinkling, bell-hke notes, — from a golden bell, if 

 that were possible. These were followed by two 

 long, tapering, flute-like strains in different keys, 

 exquisitely melodious and appeaUng. It was a voice 

 266 



