106 DAYS OUT OF DOORS. 



many indigo birds, all of which had a more mellow and 

 less sibilant song, than have those that sing in my 

 garden. 



But aboTe all the others and ever to be remembered 

 were birds of three widely different kinds that, for abun- 

 dance, want of fear of man, and constant singing, far ex- 

 celled the scores of species that were identified. They 

 were the Baltimore oriole, the scarlet tanager, and the red- 

 starts. 



The songs of the orioles were so soft, yet clear, and 

 had so often a perfect flute-like trill, that when I first 

 heard them in the gray dawn I was sorely puzzled, and 

 disposed to doubt my companion's decision when he an- 

 nounced one as singing in this sweet, wild way while rol- 

 licking in the misty air. Unlike the orioles at home, 

 they did not first alight and then fairly scream their satis- 

 faction that May days had come. Alas ! that words are 

 well-nigh useless wherewith to attempt the description of 

 bird-music ! Accept, then, the simple statement, that 

 these happy orioles sang as I had never heard them be- 

 fore. Was it the mountain air or their feeling of security, 

 or both ? I learned that under no consideration was a gun 

 allowed to be fired or a bird disturbed on any pretext ; 

 and as a result here were orioles nesting in low shade 

 trees by the hotel porch, and familiar as the plaguey spar- 

 rows of city streets. From what I saw I believe that 

 many a new chapter might be added to our knowledge 

 of birds, if everywhere they were protected as they are 

 here. 



The tanagers were less social, but scarcely less tame. 

 Look where we would, these brilliant birds were there ; 

 not singly, as they haunt the home orchards, but by scores, 

 and the same magical influence was exerted upon them. 

 For once they might be rated as song-birds. Even the 

 redstarts might be classed as musical. Perhaps it was 



