78 BIRD STORIES FROM BURROUGHS 



From mottled brown or brindle he becomes black 

 and white, earning, in some localities, the shock- 

 ing name of "skunk bird"; his small, compact 

 form becomes broad and conspicuous, and his 

 ordinary flight is laid aside for a mincing, affected 

 gait, in which he seems to use only the very tips 

 of his wings. It is very noticeable what a con- 

 trast he presents to his mate at this season, not 

 only in color but in manners, she being as shy 

 and retiring as he is forward and hilarious. In- 

 deed, she seems disagreeably serious and indis- 

 posed to any fun or jollity, scurrying away at 

 his approach, and apparently annoyed at every 

 endearing word and look. It is surprising that 

 all this parade of plumage and tinkling of cym- 

 bals should be gone through with and persisted 

 in to please a creature so coldly indifferent as she 

 really seems to be. 



I know of no other song-bird that expresses 

 so much self-consciousness and vanity, and comes 

 so near being an ornithological coxcomb. The 

 redbird, the yellowbird, the indigo-bird, the oriole, 

 the cardinal grosbeak, and others, all birds of 

 brilliant plumage and musical ability, seem quite 

 unconscious of self, and neither by tone nor act 

 challenge the admiration of the beholder. 



If I were a bird, in building my nest I should 

 follow the example of the bobolink, placing it in 



