C3 
RURAL HOURS. 
over, if wickedly inclmed ; but he behaved so oddly, that had we 
been either snakes or witches, we should have been accused of 
fascinating him. Again, the third time, he took flight, and pass- 
ing near us as quickly as possible, his heart no doubt beating ter- 
ribly at the boldness of the feat, he succeeded at last in cross- 
ing the bridge, and we soon lost sight of him among the bushes 
on the bank. But while he sat on the branch, and especially as 
he twice fluttered with distended wings before us, we saw his 
markings very plainly ; they came nearer to those of the yellow 
red-poll than any other bird of which we could obtain a plate. 
This is a southern bird, scarcely supposed to breed so far north, 
I believe, and it is quite possible that the strangers may have been 
some other variety. The yellow red-poll, however, is said to be 
very partial to the maple flowers, and these were found feeding 
on the maple blossoms, hopping from one tree to another. 
This pretty stranger had scarcely flown away, when a great 
awkward kingfisher rose from the river, passing above the bridge, 
screaming with surprise when he found a hmnan creature nearer 
than he had supposed ; he also flew down the river. Then a party 
of chicadees alirrhted amonsc the alder bushes. These were follow- 
ed by a couple of beautiful little kinglets, ruby crowns, among the 
smallest of their race ; and while all these lesser buds were mov- 
ing about us, a great hawk, of the largest size, came along from 
the lake, and continued wheeling for some time over a grove of 
pines in an adjoining field. We were not leanied enough to know 
what variety of hawk this was, but everj'^ other bird of that nu- 
merous flock — robins, sparrows, swallows, ruby crowns, blue-birds, 
goldfijich, Phoebe-bud, chicadee, kingfisher, and the doubtful yel- 
low red-poll — were all varieties peculiar to America. 
