196 
THE TOWHEE BUNTINGS 
was, moreover, a little unamiable with her Ims- ^ 
baud for having prevented her from freeing 
her mind,’’ as she expressed it. 
As soon as their visitors had left them, the 
Blackbirds flew to the place where Bobolink and 
his mate were just beginning their nest. As 
they approached, they heard his voice rattling 
forth to the whole neighborhood a long story 
of how he had wandered in the rice-fields of 
the south, and such nice flirtations as he had 
with the beautiful female Bobolinks that lived 
there through the winter ; how he refused to 
submit to the charms of any of them ; but, 
when he had secured their affections, he in- 
formed them that he was not a marrying bird, 
but that they would always possess his esteem ; 
and he would always remember the many 
happy hours he had passed in their society 
with feelings of pleasure that would, undoubt- 
edly, be shaded and subdued by a sincere 
sorrow for the pain he had unwittingly caused 
them. 
Drawing near, the Blackbirds perceived Bob 
perched on an -alder, while his mate was hard 
