it 
or ride. Some, however, are very small, 
and some very shy, keeping in the densest 
foliage in the thickets, or in the top 
foliage of the trees. Some of them are 
not only small and shy, but they are also 
of such dull and subdued colors that they 
are seen with difficulty, even when you 
know where they are. 
Who does not feel a thrill of pleasure 
when first we hear the sweet note of the 
Song Sparrow after a long and dreary 
winter ? Other birds visit us before this 
little songster, but this is the true har- 
binger of spring. We know now that the 
reign of frost and snow is nearly over, 
and that the glory of the spring and the 
promise of rich summer will soon be with 
us. What though we may yet havea few 
days more of damp snows, chilly frosts, 
and muddy roads; the little stranger 
sings through all the alterations of snow 
and sleet, of fog and rain, and of sunshine 
and clouds, and he exhorts us to wait 
hopefully for the better days that are 
