u'rt twining
For thy fair pale mother dear--
For the love-light in those blue eyes shining
Is shadowed by a tear;
And thy thoughts are now in that dim, hushed room--
With the sad, sweet smile, and the fading bloom--
_Thou'rt all too young to fear._

SONNET TO ----.

The crimson clouds had gathered round the sun,
Sinking full slowly to his nightly rest,
And gilding with a glory all his own
The bannered splendor of the glowing west,
Entranced I gazed upon the gorgeous scene
That thus so fair before my vision lay;
The calm, serene, blue heavens looked out between,
And softly smiled upon retiring day.
All was so beautiful, I could but feel
A shade of sadness that thou wert not nigh,
The radiant glory to behold with me;
And still the thought would o'er my spirit steal,
That all the clouds and mists in my dark sky
Would gather rays of glory, my life's sun, from thee!
C. O.

GAME-BIRDS OF AMERICA.--NO. VIII.

AMERICAN STARLING OR MEADOW-LARK.

This well-known inhabitant of our meadows like the Partridge, is
sociable, somewhat gregarious, and partially migratory. The change of
country, however, appears to be occasioned only by scarcity of food,
and many of them pass the whole winter with us. They may be bought in
our markets when snow is on the ground; and in the month of February,
Wilson found them picking up a scanty subsistence in the company of
the snow-birds, on a road over the heights of the Alleghanies. Its
flight, like that of the Partridge, is laborious and steady. Though
they collect their food from the ground, they are frequently shot on
trees, their perch being either the main branches, or the topmost
twigs. At the time of pairing, they exhibit a little of the jealous
disposition of the tribe, but his character vindicated by his bravery,
and the victory achieved, he retires from his fraternity to assist his
mate in the formation of her nest. The flesh of the Meadow-Lark is
white, and for size and delicacy, it is considered little inferior to
the Partridge. In length, he measures ten and a half inches, in alar
extent, nearly seventeen. Above, his plumage, as described by Nuttall,
is variegated with black, bright bay, and ochreous. Tail, wedged, the
feathers pointed, the four outer nearly all white; sides, thighs, and
vent, pale ochreous