:::::::::=>£ TWO BIRD-LOVERS IN MEXICO 1^: 



Finches of various kinds flitted among the under- 

 brush, clinging to the seed panicles or scratching among 

 the dead leaves. The most abundant were the soft- 

 chirping Black-headed Grosbeaks, looking in their 

 winter garb like giant sparrows. With these were 

 many gray and brown-headed Sinaloa Sparrows of the 

 southern species — closely related to the Texas Sparrow. 

 Hepatic Tanagers and Turquoise-fronted Buntings 

 mingled with the others in the bushes or among the 

 hanging vines. When a female of the latter species 

 hopped into view, the thought at once came — is it 

 possible that a female English Sparrow has penetrated 

 even to this wild region ! But the mate of the little 

 brown bird soon followed, resplendent in blues of 

 every hue — marine, cobalt, azure, turquoise ! And 

 our fears were laid to rest. 



Birds have a wonderful faculty of dodging, when in 

 fidl flight, through thick underbrush and vines without 

 ruffling so much as a feather's tip ; but in this land of 

 spines and thorns they sometimes come to grief. Oc- 

 casionally a tiny half-dried skeleton clattered its little 

 bleached bones in the wind, or again we would come 

 across a bird which had recently been entangled and 

 thus met its death, perhaps a beautiful Painted Redstart. 



One tragedy of this kind will long remain in our 



memories. Of all birds hummingbirds would seem 



most exempt from the myriad dangers which threaten 



the race of feathered beings — the dangers from 



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