120 THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE 



change their perching, and with drowsy 

 bustle nutter from branch to branch; 

 the whip-poor-will awakes the wood 

 echoes, and his cry never grows too 

 familiar to lend a touch of mystery to 

 common things. A veery, suddenly 

 awakened, thinks the moon the sun 

 and sings a few dreamy notes, and a 

 startled robin calls " quick ! quick ! " 

 in alarm. The great green pond frogs 

 call out unblushingly, " d-r-r-r-unk ! 

 d-r-r-r-unk! " and the swifts, rising 

 from their chimney nests with whirling 

 wings, make mimic thunder. The 

 brooks and the river run at freshet 

 speed, and the sound coming unmuffled 

 by walls of leaves seems at the door; 

 the tide measures its height upon the 

 beach with ringing strokes. 



As darkness limits the range of the 

 eye, the senses of ear and nose grow 

 keener, and the denser night air in- 



