Love-makings of Win lev- breeding Birds, 161 



By midday we reached a small wayside inn, within about six 

 miles of Stanley village. Here, whilst the horse was being fed 

 and our dinners prepared, I amused myself watching flocks of 

 white-winged crossbills, pine siskins, and redpolls crowding 

 on the dung-heaps and around the door, the male birds all in 

 perfect plume, and singing sweetly on the trees around, — the 

 brilliancy of the red of the males of the former contrasting 

 with the white landscape as they coquetted around the females, 

 showing off the white beauty-spots on their wings, which they 

 half expanded as they strutted from side to side, while the 

 pretty little redpolls, with their hoods erect, gamboled in 

 the bright sunshine around their mates, who, like the others, 

 did not seem in any way moved by their love-makings. No 

 doubt, however, the love season was commencing, as here and 

 there, among the hundreds assembled around the house, I 

 could mark pairs which came together and went off again to 

 the forest; the majority, however, had not made their choice 

 of partners, and were evidently only meditating matrimony. 

 The blue. and Canada jays were also about : the former as shy 

 and wary as the other is tame and familiar, for reasons else- 

 where observed. 



The remainder of the day's journey commenced as it ended, 

 under most discouraging circumstances ; indeed no sooner did 

 the horse attempt to mount a steep bank behind the inn than 

 she sank shoulder-deep, and we had scarcely gained the top of 

 the ridge, when, meeting a traveller returning from Stanley, 

 we were informed that the road was absolutely impracticable, 

 and judging from the weariepl aspect of the man, and bleeding 

 fetlocks of his horse, there could be no doubt we were about 

 to face difficulties of no ordinary description. But resolved 

 to try, I loosened the reins, and dismounting, left the horse 

 to pick her way along the all but trackless forest road, 

 whilst we pushed the sleigh behind, and jogged along as 

 best we could. In vain the traveller, who as I ascertained 

 subsequently was the Methodist clergyman of the district, 



M 



