mountains of i once drove one ahead of me from rapid to rapid disturbing him four times in quick succession where he could not very well fly past me on account of the of the channel most birds under similar circumstances fancy themselves and become suspiciously uneasy but instead of growing nervous about it he made his usual and sang one of his most tranquil strains when observed within a few yards their eyes are seen to express remarkable gentleness and intelligence but they seldom allow so near a view one wears clothing of about the same color as the rocks and trees and knows how to sit on one occasion while rambling along the shore of a mountain lake where the birds at least those born that season had never seen a man i sat down to rest on a large stone close to the water s edge upon which it seemed the and were in the habit of when they came to feed on that part of the shore and some of the other birds also when they came down to wash or drink in a few minutes along came a and alighted on the stone beside me within reach of my hand then suddenly observing me he stooped nervously as if about to fly on the instant but as i remained as motionless as the stone he gained confidence and looked me steadily in the face for about a minute then flew quietly to the outlet and began to sing next came a and gazed at me with much the same expression of eye as the lastly down with a came a s out of a fir tree probably with the intention of his noisy the water throat but instead of sitting as my other visitors had done he rushed at once nearly tumbling heels over head into the lake in his suspicious confusion and with loud screams roused the neighborhood love for song birds with their sweet human voices appears to be more common and than love for flowers every one loves flowers to some extent at least in life s fresh morning attracted by them as instinctively as humming birds and bees even the young indians have sufficient love for the brightest of those found growing on the mountains to gather them and them as for the hair and i was glad to discover through the few indians that could be induced to talk on the subject that they have names for the wild rose and the lily and other conspicuous flowers whether available as food or otherwise most men however whether savage or civilized become toward all plants that have no other apparent use than the use of beauty but fortunately one s first instinctive love of is never wholly no matter what the influences upon our lives may be i have often been delighted to see a pure spiritual glow come into the countenances of hard business men and old when a song bird chanced to alight near them nevertheless the little of meat that out the breasts of some song birds is too often the cause of their death and in particular are brought to market in hundreds but fortunately the has no enemy so eager to eat his little body as to follow him into the the mountains of tain i never knew him to be chased even by an acquaintance of mine a sort of foot hill had a pet cat a great overgrown creature about as broad shouldered as a during the winter while the snow lay deep the sat in his lonely cabin among the pines smoking his pipe and wearing the dull time away tom was his sole companion sharing his bed and sitting beside him on a stool with much the same drowsy expression of eye as his master the good natured bachelor was content with his hard fare of bread and bacon but tom the only creature in the world acknowledging dependence on him must needs be provided with fresh meat accordingly he himself to contrive traps and the snowy woods with his gun making sad among the few winter birds neither robin nor tiny and the pleasure of seeing tom eat and grow fat was his great reward one cold afternoon while hunting along the river bank he noticed a plain little bird about in the and immediately raised his gun but just then the confiding began to sing and after to his melody the charmed hunter turned away saying bless your little heart i can t shoot you not even for tom even so far north as icy i have found my glad singer when i was exploring the between mount and the river one cold day in november after trying snow at thb foot of the mountains of in vain to force a way through the innumerable of sum bay to the great at the head of it i was weary and baffled and sat resting in my convinced at last that i would have to leave this part of my work for another year then i began to plan my escape to open water before the young ice which was beginning to form should shut me in while i thus lingered drifting with the in the midst of these gloomy and all the terrible desolation grandeur i suddenly heard the of an s wings and looking up saw my little coming straight across the ice from the shore in a second or two he was with me flying three times round my head with a happy salute as if saying cheer up old friend you see i m here and all s well then he flew back to the shore alighted on the of a and began to nod and bow as though he were on one of his favorite in the midst of a sunny the species is distributed all along the of the pacific coast from to and east 