282 TEXAS AND ARIZONA 



cent man's presence so far below was more than 

 any innocent man could imagine. 



It would be an offense against the truth not 

 to confess that the celebrated song fell at first a 

 little short of my expectations. Perhaps I had 

 heard it celebrated somewhat too loudly and too 

 often. It was very pleasing ; the voice beautifully 

 clear and fuU, and the cadence of the sweetest ; 

 it had the grace of simplicity ; indeed, there was 

 nothing to be said against it, except that I had 

 supposed it would be — well, I hardly know 

 what, but somehow wilder and more telling. 



Within a few days I discovered a second pair 

 of the birds not far away, about an old, long- 

 disused adobe mill. They were already building 

 a nest somewhere inside, entering by a crack over 

 one of the windows. The female appeared to be 

 doing the greater part of the work, while her 

 mate sat upon the edge of the flat roof and sang 

 for her encouragement, or railed at me for my 

 too assiduous lounging about the premises. The 

 more I listened to the song, the better I enjoyed 

 it ; it is certainly a song by itself ; I have never 

 heard anything with which to compare it ; and I 

 was especially pleased to see how many varia- 

 tions the performer was able to introduce into 

 his music, and yet leave it always the same. 



The first pair, on the precipitous face of the 



