We ran on it through Miss Leslie Winton, who interested
Mrs. Minturn in certain wild birds."
"Yes I know," cried the Professor eagerly.
"When she became certain that she had heard a--I think she said Song
Sparrow, sing Di Provenza from Traviata--correct me if I am wrong--until
she felt that Verdi copied the bird or the bird copied the master, she
told my wife, and Nellie was greatly interested."
"Yes I know," repeated the musician. "She stopped here one day in passing
and told me what she had heard from Miss Winton. She asked me if I thought
there were enough in the subject to pay for spending a day investigating
it. I knew very little, but on the chance that she would have a more
profitable time in the woods than in society, I strongly urged her to go.
She heard enough to convince her, for shortly after leaving for her usual
summer trip she wrote me twice concerning it."
"You mean she wrote you about studying bird music?"
"Yes," said the Professor, "the first letter, if I remember, came from
Boston, where she found much progress had been made; there she heard of a
man who had gone into the subject more deeply than any one ever before had
investigated, and written a book.
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