The place this discerning pair of birds had selected in which to establish themselves was one of the most charming nooks in the vicinity. Kept free from English sparrows (by persistently destroying their nests), and having but a small and quiet family, it was the delight of cardinals and catbirds. Without taking pains to look for them, one might see the nests of two catbirds, two wood doves, a robin or two, and others; and there were beside, thickets, the delight of many birds, and a row of spruces so close that a whole flock might have nested there in security. In that spot "the quaintly discontinuous lays" of the catbird were in perfection; one song especially was the best I ever heard, being louder and more clear than catbirds usually sing.
As I turned to leave the grounds, the relieved parent, who had not relished my interest in his little folk, mounted a branch, and,
"Like a pomegranate flower
In the dark foliage of the cedar-tree,
Shone out and sang for me."
And thus I left him.
XI.
LITTLE BOY BLUE.
"The crested blue jay flitting swift."