Song Birds and Water Fowl 



and at other times he speaks of its joyous 

 spring-time mood, with an ardor that is quite 

 in contrast with his usually quiet and conserva- 

 tive utterance. These varied impressions re- 

 sult in part from the variations of the bird 

 itself, and in part from the changing light and 

 atmosphere in which a poet looks at everything. 

 There are certain peculiarities in this bird that 

 deserve attention. 



Some people are so symmetrical in their nat- 

 ures that the skilful psychologist, from a sin- 

 gle element, might reconstruct the entire frame- 

 work of their character ; just as Agassiz, from 

 a single bone, restored the entire skeleton of a 

 certain geologic reptile. Such may be the most 

 valuable members of society, but they are not 

 the most interesting specimens for psychological 

 analysis. But when one's own nature is at war 

 with itself, when an individual like the cuckoo, 

 modest, graceful, retiring, and evidently of a 

 poetic melancholy temperament, is found to be 

 an artful thief and a cold-blooded murderess, 

 and so wanting in natural affection as to aban- 

 don her own offspring — while we should hardly 

 like to admit this character to our own house, 

 we should certainly be eager to scrutinize such 

 a strange anomaly. 



