Killooleet, Little Sweet -Voice. 29 



little circle of waiting leaves, there would be a stir 

 beside me in the underbrush, or overhead in the fir ; 

 then tinkling out of the darkness, like a brook under 

 the snow, would come the low clear strain of melody 

 that always set my heart a-dancing, — I^m here, sweet 

 Killooleet-lillooleet-lillooleet, the good-night song of my 

 gentle neighbor. Then along the path a little way, 

 and another match, and another song to make one 

 better and his rest sweeter. 



By day I used to listen to them, hours long at a 

 stretch, practicing to perfect their song. These were 

 the younger birds, of course ; and for a long time 

 they puzzled me. Those who know Killooleet's song 

 will remember that it begins with three clear sweet 

 notes ; but very few have observed the break between 

 the second and third of these. I noticed, first of all, 

 that certain birds would start the song twenty times 

 in succession, yet never get beyond the second note. 

 And when I crept up, to find out about it, I would 

 find them sitting disconsolately, deep in shadow, 

 instead of out in the light where they love to sing, 

 with a pitiful little droop of wings and tail, and the 

 air of failure and dejection in every movement. Then 

 again these same singers would touch the third note, 

 and always in such cases they would prolong the 

 ]ast trill, the lillooket-lillooleet (the Peabody-Peabody, 



