fly;
The Robin chirps as he flutters past--
November days have come at last.
--CLARA LOUISE STRONG.

"I have watched birds at their singing under many and widely differing
circumstances, and I am sure that they express joyous anticipation,
present content, and pleasant recollection, each as the mood moves, and
with equal ease."

--M. THOMPSON.

"The act of singing is evidently a pleasurable one; and it probably
serves as an outlet for superabundant nervous energy and excitement,
just as dancing, singing, and field sports do with us."

--A. R. WALLACE.

"The bird upon the tree utters the meaning of the wind--a voice of the
grass and wild flower, words of the green leaf; they speak through that
slender tone. Sweetness of dew and rifts of sunshine, the dark hawthorn
touched with breadths of open bud, the odor of the air, the color of the
daffodil--all that is delicious and beloved of spring-time are expressed
in his song."

--RICHARD JEFFERIES.

THE LAZULI BUNTING.

The joy is great of him who strays
In shady woods on summer days.
--MAURICE THOMPSON.

In Colorado and Arizona the Lazuli Painted Finch, as it is called,
is common, while in California it is very abundant, being, in fact,
generally distributed throughout the west, and along the Pacific Coast
it is found as far north as Puget Sound, during the summer. Davie says
it replaces the Indigo Bunting, (See BIRDS, Vol. I, page 174,) from the
Plains to the Pacific, being found in all suitable localities. The nest
is usually built in a bush or in the lower limbs of trees, a few feet
from the ground. Fine strips of bark, small twigs, grasses, and hair are
used in preparing it for the four tiny, light bluish-green eggs, which
readily fade when exposed to light. The eggs so closely resemble those
of the Bluebird as not to be distinguishable with certainty. The nest is
an inartistic one for a bird of gay plumage.

From Florence A. Merriam's charming book, "A-Birding on a Bronco," we
select a description of the pretty manners of this attractive bird. She
says:

"While waiting for the Woodpeckers, one day, I saw a small brownish
bird flying busily back and forth to some green weeds. She was joined
by her mate, a handsome blue Lazuli Bunting, even more beautiful than our
lovely Indigo, and he flew beside her full of life and joy.