r lifeless trees; on the contrary, I followed the
dusty road and examined the telegraph poles, for the woodpecker of these
latter days has departed from the ways of his fathers, deserted the cool
and fragrant woods, and taken up his abode in degenerate places, a
fitting change of residence to follow his change of habit from digging
his prey out of the tree-trunks to catching it on the wing.

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 appeared, on a telegraph wire, so comfortably,
indeed, that he did not care to disturb himself for any stray mortal who
might chance to pass.

I stopped to look, and hurriedly note his points, fearing every moment
that he would take wing; but not a feather stirred. A king on his throne
could not be more absolutely indifferent to a passer-by than this little
beauty. He was self-possessed as a thrush, and 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 beautiful 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 the 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 I had a
more satisfactory view.

[Illustration: BABIES IN GRAY--THE SHRIKE]

[Sidenote: _BABIES IN GRAY._]

I was taking my usual afternoon walk, about five o'clock, when, as I
approached a little pond beside the road, up started the unknown from a
brush heap on the edge. He flew across the road to a tree near the
track, and I was about to follow him when my eye fell upon another on
the fence beyond, and on walking slowly toward him I discovered a
second, and then a third. Three of the beauties on a fence a little
way apart--there was then a family! I stood and gazed.

The backs and heads of the birds, as I could then plainly see, were a
little darker shade of the delicate blue-gray, with the same soft,
fluffy look I had noticed on the breast. The wings were black and
somewhat elaborately marked with