WAYS OF NATURE 



to look upon, from my neighbor's field where they 

 obtained the material, to the tree that held the nest. 

 A gentle, gliding flight, hurried but hushed, as it 

 were, and expressive of privacy and loving preoccu- 

 pation. The male carried no material; apparently 

 he was simply the escort of his mate; but he had an 

 air of keen and joyous interest. He never failed to 

 attend her each way, keeping about a yard behind 

 her, and flying as if her thought were his thought 

 and her wish his wish. I have rarely seen anything 

 so pretty in bird life. The m^ements of all our 

 thrushes except the robin give one this same sense 

 of harmony, — nothing sharp or angular or abrupt- 

 Their gestures are as pleasing as their notes. 



One evening, while seated upon my porch, I had 

 convincing proof that musical or song contests do 

 take place among the birds. Two wood thrushes 

 who had nests near by sat on the top of a dead tree 

 and pitted themselves against each other in song 

 for over half an hour, contending like champions in 

 a game, and certainly affording the rarest treat in 

 wood thrush melody I had ever had. They sang 

 and sang with unwearied spirit and persistence, 

 now and then changing position or facing in another 

 direction, but keeping within a few feet of each 

 other. The rivalry became so obvious and was so 

 interesting that I finally made it a point not to take 

 my eyes from the singers. The twilight deepened 

 till their forms began to grow dim; then one of the 

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