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LITTLE STRANGERS. IN GRAY. 
M Y first sight of the little strangers 
in gray was one morning, when 
returning from a long stroll in 
search of the nest of the red-headed 
woodpecker. It was not through the 
woods I had been, as might be expected. 
I did not search the dead limbs or life- 
less trees ; on the contrary, I followed 
the dusty road, and examined the tele- 
graph poles, for the woodpecker of these 
later days has departed from the ways 
of his fathers, deserted the cool and fra- 
grant woods, and taken up his abode in 
degenerate places. 
On this special morning I found holes 
enough and_ birds enough, but no hole 
that seemed to belong to any particular 
bird; and as I walked along home by the 
railroad, I came upon my little stranger. 
He was seated comfortably, as it ap- 
peared, on a telegraph wire—so comfort- 
ably, indeed, that he did not care to dis- 
turb himself for any stray mortal who 
might chance to pass beneath his airy 
seat. 
I stopped to look, and hurriedly note 
his points, fearing every minute that he 
would take wing; but not a feather 
stirred. A kingon his throne could not 
be more e absolutely indifferent to a pass- 
er-by than this little beauty. He was 
self-possessed as a thrush, serene as a 
dove, but he was not conveniently placed 
for study, being above my head, in strong 
sunlight, against a glaring sky. I could 
see only that his under parts were beauti- 
ful fluffy white, dusted with blue-gray, 
and that he had black on the wings. He 
was somewhat smaller than a robin, and 
held his tail with the grace of a catbird. 
On several subsequent days I passed 
that way frequently, sometimes seeing 
my bird alone, again with a comrade, 
but always noting ‘the same reserved and 
composed manners, and always so placed 
that I could not see his markings. It 
was not until a week or ten days later 
that [ had a more satisfactory view. 
I was taking my usual afternoon walk, 
about five o’clock, and as I came near to 
a little pond beside the road, up started 
the unknown from a brush-heap on the 
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