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FIELD BOOK OF
WILD BIRDS anv
THEIR MUSIC

A DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTER
AND MUSIC OF BIRDS, INTENDED
TO ASSIST IN THE IDENTIFICA-
TION OF SPECIES COMMON IN THE
UNITED STATES EAST OF THE ROCKY
MOUNTAINS #8 s s Ss s

By F. SCHUYLER MATHEWS

AUTHOR OF
THE FIELD BOOK OF AMERICAN WILD FLOWERS,
FIELD BOOK OF AMERICAN TREES AND SHRUBS,
FAMILIAR TREES AND THEIR LEAVES, BOOK ‘OF
BIRDS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE : : : : : : :

7 ye Hy
WITH NUMEROUS REPRODUCTIONS OF WATER
COLOR AND MONOTONE STUDIES OF BIRDS, AND

COMPLETE MUSICAL ROT RAS OF PIED SONGS
BY THE AUTHOR ae ees

REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION

G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON

The nickerbocker Press

BY
F. SCHUYLER MATHEWS

Printed in the United States of America

GENEVIEVE AND CARROLL

MY ENTHUSIASTIC COMPANIONS IN MANY A HUN*®
FOR THE FEATHERED SONGSTER
THESE WOOD NOTES
ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED

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INTRODUCTION TO THE REVISED AND ENLARGED
EDITION

Hast thou a charm to stay the morning star

In his steep course? So long he seems to pause
On thy bald awful head, O sovran Blanc!

The Arve and Arveiron at thy base

Rave ceaselessly; but thou, . . .

Risest from forth thy silent sea of pines,

How silently! ee

; sing ye meadow streams with gladsome voice!
Ye pine groves, with your soft and soul-like sounds!

SAMUEL TayLOoR COLERIDGE.

When in the lapse of a number of years an accumulation
of knowledge and experience has enlarged or modified one’s
mental vision, it is well if the advance goes on record.

Now, although my estimate of the character and signifi-
cance of bird music has undergone little material change
during a period of seventeen years, it has grown proportion-
ately with those years, and I have added in this new edi-
tion the results of my latest study. It is not necessary to
apologize for the insistence upon the value of musical nota-
tion expressed in my Introduction to Bird Music, there is no
avoiding the facts stated therein, nor any cause to enlarge
on them; but there is something to be added in relation
to the musical scales of the birds, and in appreciation of
the musical record and its popular as well as scientific
usefulness.

When one attains the commanding summit of a high
mountain the horizon is greatly enlarged. If one remains
in the valley and mountain walls shut one in on every side,
the world indeed seems small. Coleridge soared upward
like the lark when he wrote the lines quoted above. With

v .

INTRODUCTION,

greatly enlarged vision he has epitomized the music of
Nature as that must appeal to all of us else it cannot appeal
at all. The mountain reveals the boundless horizon of a
different world of which we have scarcely dreamed or
thought, a world to which the little bird on viewless wing
has ever sung, shall ever sing. His music is his language,
for us it is interpretative of life’s experiénce; it is not a thing
which we may cast aside as a child would discard his toy
when it ceases to amuse.

Hence, I believe the birds with their music are the revela-
tion of a greater world, one with just such a boundless
horizon as that which we view from the mountain’s summit
marvelling that it is indeed the same narrow world we live
in.
It is not possible to listen to the melody of the Song Spar-
row in early March without realizing for the time being that
we are released from the cold clutch of winter and set
down in the comfortable lap of spring. What matters it
if the squalling interruptions of the Blue Jay disturb that
delightful impression. A discordant note somewhere is a
phase of life; not all the singers are divine, in fact, the world
of music if it is true to life must record a due proportion of
flippant jest, idle chatter, squawking disagreement, rag-
time frivolity, mooning transcendentalism, and so on. A
world of singing birds devoid of humor would be extremely
dull; without something plainly, humanly nonsensical in it
now and then it must be insufferably tedious. One would
not dare to assume that naught of innocent jollity entered
into the life of the bird.

But of serene, exultant melody in the music of the birds
there is plenty; the plainest evidence of it is in the songs of
the Thrushes, and we have the convincing proof that their
music is built upon definite, primitive scales—seales which
the birds used ons of years before man did. This book is
not the proper medium in which to set forth evolutionary
theories of bird-song, but I must emphatically repeat that
the bird sings first for love of music, and second for love of
the lady. I am not alone in my theory of the inherent
musical nature of song-birds, for Mr. Chauncey J. Hawkins
writes in The Auk: “There must be something within the

INTRODUCTION.

bird himself which causes him to sing though there is no
ear to listen,” and further, the writer advises his reader to
“seek the cause of song in the internal life of the bird rather
than in external causes.’’* _

The addition of many birds to the original group included
in this book was a much needed one. Although a number
of the species are rather uncommon, one is likely to be sur-
prised by the appearance of a rare individual at any time
in some most unexpected place; that has been my own ex-
perience, and several of the song-records, notably those of
the Lincoln Sparrow, the inimitable little Winter Wren, and
the Tennessee Warbler, were quite accidental acquisitions;
indeed, a considerable number of the notations contained
here were such, but I believe they may at least claim the

/eredit of “‘a-first appearance.’”’ Whether they are useful
' for the purpose of identifying the birds is another matter—

- one which I must leave for the reader to decide. It is
sufficient for me to point out that I recognized the song of
the Veery for the first time in the winter of 1884 upon read-
ing a notation of it in an article on Bird Music by Simeon
Pease Cheney which appeared in the Century Magazine at
that time. Thirty-one years later, on a certain occasion I
requested a Boston musician to go to the piano, run his
fingers in a particular way over a progression of minor
thirds ascending within the diminished seventh and he
would have the equivalent of the song of Swainson’s
Thrush; he did so and instantly reproduced the notes of
the musical record found on page 253. He did not see nor
did he need to see the written music, the verbal description
was enough. At the same time, for those who do not read
or understand music I have not hesitated to introduce
within these pages every possible means aside from music
which may promise help in the identification of bird-song.
Therefore, on this same page 253, there is a suggestive
scalloped line accompanied by Bradford Torrey’s syllabic
form which also represents the music of Swainson’s Thrush.
Even if there were but one among a dozen of my consid-
erate readers who could read a musical record, that would
discount its ultimate value in no respect if it were truthful,

* Vide The Auk, October, 1918, vol. xxxv., No. 4, p. 421.
vil

INTRODUCTION.

for, in such form the song is in a state of scientific preserva-
tion, which is more than may be said of a lack of musical
knowledge! The time has already come when most of the
advanced school children of Boston and New York can tell
us exactly the difference between the chromatic and dia-
tonic scales. A piano and a Canary may not be unmixed
blessings in the house, but no one has yet ventured to sug-
gest the home is blessed which boasts nor bird nor music!

The correction of errors in text and music which must
inevitably enter a book of this kind in spite of the greatest
vigilance cannot always be successfully accomplished by
one pair of eyes. In this connection I am greatly indebted
to Mr. Henry L. Mason of Boston for his valuable sugges-
tions and kindly interest in the work. It should also be
borne in mind that for one who has always lived both in
town and country in an atmosphere of music, the many
allusions to musical parallelism within these pages are be-
lieved to be as interesting and useful to others as to himself;
and again, with respect to musical pitch, a vitally import-
ant point in the transcription of bird-music, it should be
explained that a musical mind is adept in carrying the key
of C without assistance of instrument or pitch pipe. If
it were not so the significant Twice or Thrice 8va. which
appears over my notations would not be so constantly em-
ployed. In certain cases—for example, the Warblers and
the Cuckoos—musical pitch is an indubitable indication of
the species!

It should not be necessary for me to add that the piano
arrangements here are meant solely to demonstrate the
musical content of the bird’s song. Bird-notes can scarcely
be recognized with the assistance of the piano. If one
desires a tonal imitation of the song it must be whistled in
accordance with its notation and in exact pitch, no other
way will answer.

F. ScovuyLter MaATHews.
Cambridge, Mass., February, 1921.

Viii

PREFACE.

Undoubtedly the thing we love and cherish most
about the little wild-wood singer is his song. The
music from the Robin sitting alone and apparently
cheerless on the bare branch of the elm beside the road
is at least a most welcome message with the true ring of
springtime about it, even though the meadow is bare of
any green thing, and the sky too dull and gray to sug-
gest the advent of the gentler season. The calendar
says it is March, but as far as appearances go it might
just as well be grim November—except for the presence
of the Robin. But fortunately appearances are dis-
counted in a country where the poet has most aggra-
vatingly sung :

*‘ The spring comes slowly up this way.”

As though we did not know that without being told as
much in verse! The factis, itreally does not come at all
as the poets would have it, either early or late. That
familiar line of the old English poet,

**Come, gentle spring, ethereal mildness, come”;

is entirely unrelated to the order of things in the
northern United States ; here our spring is mostly made
up of sentiment connected with extended lists of sing-
ing birds and of hurriedly blooming wild flowers; all the
rest is weather—and plenty of it! January thaws,
February snow-flurries, March gales, July heat, Decem-
ber frosts, August thunder-showers, and November
skies! All is out of order except the birds; they come
in regular procession, and sing, day in and day out, in
spite of the weather and apparently without a thought
of the preposterous disagreements of the climate and
the weather bureau!

But the songs, what of them! why is the singer re-
corded in all the books, but never—or hardly ever—his
song? Well, the question is a difficult one to answer
without finding fault with some one, so it would be best
to make this little volume furnish the response. Here

PREFACE.

it is, last from the publisher, but first from birds which
have sung in the field and on the hillside for the past
five years. Whose are the songs,mine? No, lam only
the reporter who has listened attentively for a score of
vernal seasons to the little feathered musicians of Na-
ture’s great orchestra. The volume is literally a field-
book filled with the musical sayings of American birds;
I have taken no liberties with the scores, except to
make a doubtful A or B no longer doubtful. Allisa
literal transcription, not without certain puzzling phases,
of course ; for who of us have never been bothered by
the rapid performances of expert musicians! Naturally,
therefore, some of my records are imperfect; indeed, it
is safe to add that some singers sang a great deal more
than I was able to put down on paper. I trust, however,
that no bird lover will be disturbed by the remarkable
records coming from the more talented songsters when
he hears what they have done through the interposition
ef the pianist. If he should doubt my record I would
be pleased to introduce him to my bird (or perhaps
some other one just as talented) in the field opposite my
studio, or on the mountain-side behind it, in the wilds
of New Hampshire.

To those kind friends who have greatly assisted me
by advice and service in the planning of this work I am
glad to extend grateful acknowledgments. Mr. William
Brewster has permitted me to sketch in water-color
from specimens in his museum, Mr. Walter Deane has
been generous in advice. Mr. Frank Chapman has
given me ample facilities to sketch from specimens in
the New York Museum of Natural History. Messrs,
Lee and Shepard have kindly presented me with a copy
of Mr. Cheney’s Wood Notes Wild, and granted per.
mission to quote therefrom, Messrs. Houghton and
Mifflin have allowed me to quote from those admirable
little volumes of that charming writer and true nature-
lover, Mr. Bradford Torrey.* Messrs, Ginn and Company

*Mr. Torrey, above all other authors, has succeeded in succinctly
describing the musical rhythm of the bird’s song, and has also used
practical musical definitions. His writings are of inestimable
value to one who pursues the study of bird music.

PREFACE.

have permitted me to quote from William 8. Long’s
School of the Woods. Also, from the books of Mr.

Frank Chapman and Mr. W. E. D. Scott, as well as from
the pamphlets of Mr. Ned Dearborn, and Mr. F. E. L.
Beal, I have been glad to cull valuable opinions and
certain ornithological statistics of indispensable interest.

I have endeavored to paint the little songster in his
true colors, and show him in some one of his character-
istic positions, flying or singing. Some of my water-
colors are satisfactorily interpreted by the three-color
process, and others are not. One must not judge of the
color of the bird altogether by his picture. The wonder
is, that with limited red, yellow, and blue the plate-
maker and printer so nearly approached the model.
The pictures of the four Thrushes are well preserved, so
are those of the Meadowlark, the Cuckoos, the Purple
Finch, the Goldfinch, the Indigo Bunting, and the Red-
winged Blackbird. Suffice it to say that when the art-
ist gives the printer absolutely nothing but purity and
delicacy of color to copy, he imposes upon him a task of
no little difficulty,—a difficulty for which due allow-
ance should be made in an appreciation of the result.

_I do not use such color-terms as rufous, vinaceous,
fuscous, and the like, when describing the bird’s colors,
as it is doubtful whether anybody knows what they
mean. Imagine yourself telling the painter to paint
your house fuscous, or directing the dress-maker to line
your garment with vinaceous! Presumably the orni-
thologist and the botanist prefer to use a universal
language; it has its advantages, so we will forgive them.
Yet it would hit a scientist very hard, I suppose, to sug-
gest that he was very unscientific outside of his pro-
fession—and a trifle medieval! Otherwise, why does he
call crimson, purple! In the matter of color and music,
therefore, we will be scientific, and when the bird is
crimson we will noé call him purple, but crimson, and
when he sings G sharp we will not hunt around iou a
syllable to represent it, but put it on the musical staft
where it belongs!

F, SCHUYLER MATHEWS,

Boston, April, 1904.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE REVISED AND ENLARGED

EDITION < : : ‘ : 4 ‘ Vv
PREFACE . . ‘ ; ‘ : : ; ix
ILLUSTRATIONS . ‘ A ; - Xvii
An INTRODUCTION TO BIRD Mouse. : oof i
A Musicat Key . ‘ - . (xk
THE MUSICAL SCALES OF THE ¢ ae ; XXXVii
GLOSSARY . . , 3 : ¥ . xiii
ORDER GALLINE. GALLINACEOUS BIRDs:

Quail .. ‘ “ > . » : . 3

Partridge. . : : 7

ORDER RAPTORES Parrine Birps:
Screech Owl . 3 ‘ : ° ° * 70
Great Horned Owl . ; : : “tg
ORDER COCCYGES. CuCKOOS, ETC.:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo . ; . . « NES
Black-billed Cuckoo . 2 ‘ - .
ORDER PICI. WoopPECKERS, ETC.:
Downy Woodpecker . ; - 2I
Flicker, Golden-winged Woodpecker ; e, 43
ORDER MACROCHIRES. GOATSUCKERS, SwIFTs,

ETC.:
Whip-poor-will . : A ‘ ‘ s* .26
Night Hawk 4 = . e ; 2! “80
Chimney Swift . ‘ e a ae

Ruby-Throated Hutantigbird 4 : = 34
ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDs:

Kingbird . > . , ° ° » a
Phoebe ; . ‘ ° ° . i ae
Wood Pewee ‘ ° ° e ° + “38
Chebec ‘ . ° ° ° . ee 3
Blue Jay. ° - ‘ ° ° eae
Canada Jay. ° ° ° ° ° « 46
Crow . ° ° e ° ° . os /:47
Bobolink ., ° ° ° ° ° - 48
Cowbird . . ° . ° ° 53
Red-winged Blackbird A ° ° ° 54
Meadowlark : ; Z ‘ ° a) es
Orchard Oriole . : A ‘ « 63

CONTENTS.

ORDER PASSERES. Prercuinc Birps—Continued.

Baltimore Oriole .

Purple Grackle

Bronzed Grackle .

Purple Finch ; :

American Goldfinch

Snow Bunting

Vesper Sparrow .

- Grasshopper Sparrow .
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow ‘ ‘
Field ee . . . ‘
Junco . -

Song Sparrow ;

Swamp Sparrow .- .

Chewink ‘ ; ;
Rose-breasted Grosbeak ’ ;
Indigo Bunting . ° >

Scarlet Tanager . : ‘

Cedar Waxwing . ‘ -
Red-eyed Vireo . ¢ °

Warbling Vireo :
Yellow-throated Vireo

Solitary Vireo ‘ ‘
White-eyed Vireo ; é

Black and White Warbler .
Golden-winged Warbler A °
Nashville Warbler ; , “
Northern Parula Warbler .

Cape May Warbler .

Yellow Warbler...
Black-throated Blue Warbler

Myrtle Warbler °

Magnolia Warbler : , . ; ?
Chestnut-sided Warbler. ‘ : .
Bay-breasted Warbler . , : ‘ »
Black-poll Warbler. ‘ ; , ;
Blackburnian Warbler. P ‘ , ,

Black-throated Green Warbler , ‘ .
xiV

CONTENTS.

ORDER PASSERES. PeErcHinGc Birps—Connnued.
PAGE
Pine Warbler : ° . . : - 194
Yellow Red-Poll.. . . ‘ = « 195
Prairie Warbler . ‘ x“ F p - 196

Oven-bird . 3 P . 7 - 197
Maryland Yellow-throas ‘ ° ° - 200
Yellow-breasted Chat . ro . oe e 2 03

Hooded Warbler . é‘ ° . ‘ « 204
Wilson’s Warbler : ; é . - 206
Canadian Warbler > ; ° ° ° 207
American Redstart . * F ° - 208
Brown Thrasher . > ° * » 213

Carolina Wren . ° : : , e .215
Bewick’s Wren . ° ; : é + 218
House Wren ‘ - ‘ a <..a%8
Winter Wren . - : ; ot 220

Short-billed Marsh Wren . ‘ . <2 aa2
Long-billed Marsh Wren . ; > +. {293
Brown Creeper . ‘ A - «tS
White-breasted N Hipich ‘ ; : + 226
Black-capped Chickadee - F . ET

Carolina Chickadee . . ; : =is ae
Hudsonian Chickadee . ; : ‘ “nae
Tufted Titmouse . : ‘ 4 . «. 834
Golden-crowned Kinglet ; ; Apes 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet . : , , +. 236
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher . : : ; xo ae
Wood Thrush — ‘ - ‘ ; ‘ « »-239
Veery . : ‘ ‘ ‘ ; « 244
Gray-cheeked Thrush : ‘ , - - 248
Bicknell’s Thrush . > ; 4 : he Fe

Olive-backed Thrush . 4 ‘ 3 « 2. #82
Hermit Thrush . . ‘ ; , e255

BIRDS OF WINTER, EARLY SPRING,AND LATE AUTUMN
ORDER RAPTORES. PREYING BIRDs:

Barn Owl . - ’ ; : ; - 269
Barred or Hoot Owl ’ , ° ‘ oS) a0
Snowy Owl . ; : ° ° ° mee 7 2

CONTENTS

SUBORDER ALCYONES. KINGFISHERS:
Belted Kingfisher . : . ‘

ORDER FPICI. WOODPECKERS:
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BiIrRDs:
Alder Flycatcher .
Starling :
Evening Gocsbenk 2 “ ,
Pine Grosbeak . ‘ - :

Red Crossbill ; . 4 ,
White-winged Crossbill ‘ ;
Redpoll ‘ : - F ‘
Pine Sisken . ? : .
Ipswich Sparrow . ° ‘
Savannah Sparrow °

Tree Sparrow ; - .
Lincoln’s Sparrow ; ‘ .
Fox Sparrow : . A ;
Cardinal . ’ ; : :
Bohemian Waxwing

Philadelphia Vireo

Worm-eating Warbler . ;
Blue-winged Warbler . ‘
Tennessee Warbler ;
Water-Thrush

Louisiana Water-Thrush A
Kentucky Warbler : : ;
Connecticut Warbler . : *

Mourning Warbler ‘ : ;
Mockingbird é : 8
Robin . ; . > .

Bluebird ; . = - ~

274

275

276

: a. aoe
- ame
° . 280
° e B81
° i” ata
- » 283
: . £85
° . 286
° 5h ey
: - 288
° + "290
° «) 2a
° + “oa
° >. 206
a Rg Lae
298

300

301

302

304

305

. » . 307
- - 308
« 313

List oF SONG BIRDS OF THE PEMIGEWASSET Vateiry

WITH APPROXIMATE DATES OF ARRIVAL

Srx Maps RELATING TO THE MIGRATIONS OF

Brrps . 4 P ‘
INDEX . e Ps e - - °

317

. Facing 320
° ° 321

ILLUSTRATIONS

PINE GROSBEAK
(In color.)

_ BOB-WHITE
- (In color.)

PARTRIDGE
(Jn color.)

ScREECH OWL
(In color.)

GREAT HORNED OWL
(In color.)

BLACK-BILLED AND YELLOW-BILLED CuCKOOS
(Jn color.)

Downy WOODPECKER

Risen oe Wie. ho! Dae Oke Oe
(In color.)

WHIP-PoorR-WILL < DME ae Oe ees
(In color.)

FUUUUAMGS —5 6 eee rey mi
Comer Svar. es ot ee ce
enOnte, 5 6a a ee ee ee
Re 62 Sls. 5 ean fe! 9 wl ad ere
CHEBEC AND Woop PEWEE ..... «

Sites SF ai gS 55 ai es Bt ies oat
(In color.)

POOR TO i eee ee ee

Crow . . . . . . . . . . .

SROMORAES kar oo ie te) 6.6 a” @
(In color.)

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD . . .« «© « «
(In color.)

AIOE. Fal ook on Lien ws ceases
(Jn color.)

XVii

FACING

PAGE
Frontispiece

. . . 10

: 12

eA 16

* 20

* 22

StS, 8 26

. . ” 32
. . . . 34
. . . 36
. . . 38
Som ee 44
. . . 46
. . . 48
. . . 50
. . . 54

ILLUSTRATIONS

BALTIMORE ORIOLE AND ORCHARD ORIOLE . . .
(In color.)

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH AND PurpPLE Fincu .
(In color.)

SNOWFLAKES SP inett ert a in
(In color.)

VESPER SPARROW AND GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
(In color.)

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW AND WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW .
(In color.)

FIELD SPARROW AND CHIPPING SPARROW
(In color.)

INDIGO BUNTING AND JUNCO . i .-% 2. « e« «»
(In color.)

SonG SPARROW AND SWAMP SPARROW
(In color.)

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK AND CHEWINK . ... .
(In color.)

SCARLET TANAGER AND MATE . -
(In color.)

CEDAR WAXWING . .. ..« + >

RED-EYED VIREO AND YELLOW-THROATED VIREO . . .
(In color.)

WARBLING VIREO ....

WHITE-EYED VIREO AND SOLITARY VIREO . .. .
(In color.)

Biack 4np Waitt WaRBter io ..°4. 6 oe ee

NASHVILLE WARBLER AND GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER
(In color.)

CaPE MAY WARBLER AND NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER
(In color.)

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER AND YELLOW WARBLER
(In color.)

- MYRTLE WARBLER AND MAGNOLIA WARBLER . . .
(In color.)

XVili

PACING
PAGE

64
74
84
86
90
102
108

- 110

174

- 180

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING

PAGE

BAyY-BREASTED WARBLER AND CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. 184
{In color.)

BLACKHVGLE AAMEEER 2 on) Se ae a ere eee) 6 188

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER AND BLACK-THROATED GREEN WAR-

i ee re ng Ss lta ad Ss oe Rou ae hoe
(In color.)

REDSTART AND PINE WARBLER . . . » « «+ « «+ « 194
(In color.)
PRAIRIE WARBLER AND YELLOW RED-POLL . .... . 196

(In color.) ;
MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT AND OVENBIRD fps eile ee
(In color.)
HoopED WARBLER AND YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT ie ia Bee
(In color.)

CANADIAN WARBLER AND WILSON’S WARBLER . .. . . 208

(In color.) .
CATBUR ee ew 0 6 eh eke ish Ve ogee 212
BROWN THRASHER . . « «+ «© «© © «© « « « « ~ 214
(In color.)

WINTER WREN AND CAROLINA WREN . 2. 2 « « : 3. “2l6

(In color.)
SESW BM ye Sie sl oh Delage 8 Be SOEs
Witre-nuxasrep Nuraatcu i ae ae eee oe 6 se alee
CHICKADEES Sys, Les ow, PSP Ae Secale Ma Notte. We ae ae
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET AND PROTHONOTARY WARBLER . 234
(In color.)
FUee- CROWNED KINGIRYT b0-ciy se ee Se a te 2
(In color.)
Woop THRUSH AND VEERY . .. 6 « ; O85 ea iO
(In color.)
BUELL TURUER ot ST le el a ee eee 380
HERMIT THRUSH AND OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH . . . . . 254
(In color )
ROW Via ghoul gta. obedience“ s | BEO
DOGEED MEMGVISGRR Gas of ce ait hee oe we BTR

Xix

ILLUSTRATIONS

Bvenine GROSSEAR «- 6. el Ha Sar VOR, a
(In color.)

Rup CROOSBILE » 0 “wis 6 a pw ee 6s “eh ers
(In color.)

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL WE est Sear
(In color.)

Pine Siskin AND RED-POLL .-. «5 © © 6 6
(In color.)

Fou Seanmow 37 i «0: oc. eee De tere ee
(In color.)

CARDINAL: cf pels! “eee et oe ee
(In color.)

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER AND WORM-EATING WARBLER
(In color)

WATER-THRUSE Coe ie (eis whe) 0) woe
(In color.) -

Kesrock’ WaReGEe 326580. ca bi ees
(In color.) :
MOCKING DMD = 0.5 ere ee ee. 8 ee ee

(In color.)

BLUEBIRD: AND ROBBERS 6 a. 4 eee eee

(In color.)

282

288

AN INTRODUCTION TO BIRD MUSIC.

There is a general idea among many who are inter-
ested in birds that musical notation employed as a
means to express a bird’s song is nearly worthless. Pos-
sibly those who are most skeptical in this regard are not
the ones who read music readily. If so, I shall hope
that the musical key and glossary which follow will
prove of great assistance in making plain those simpler
principles of music necessary to a proper understanding
not only of the musical records within this volume, but
of the character of the songs they represent. Of course
it is a more or less problematic matter to deal with wild
music. It is not amenable in any respect tolaw. How-
ever, the question involved is not whether the bird’s
song is radically different from ours—we may admit
that point—but whether it may be truthfully and logi-
cally recorded upon the musical staff. That question,
it is the object of this book to answer affirmatively, and
with due regard for all the difficulties involved.

Syllables alone can not express the song of a bird; they
are wholly inadequate, if not extremely unscientific. A
syllable may be spoken or sung in any tone of voice,
therefore, it is useless in locating a tone. Such conso-
nants as Q, 8, and Z are of use only in defining a partic-
ular quality of tone. Now, as bird songs are composed
of a certain number of related tones and a limited
degree of pitch, there is but one way to record them;
that must be upon the musical staff!

As a matter of fact, syllables are very useful in ex-
pressing rhythm or time; but even here they some-
times .fail. For instance, one of the best syllabic
examples of rhythm is the Old Sam Peabody, Peabody,
Peabody, attributed to the White-throated Sparrow.
Naturally, one would pronounce the name Pea-bo-dy
evenly; but the bird does not sing this trisyllabic note
that way; he sings the first of the three tones to three
beats, the second to one beat, and the third to two beats.
Only the musical staff can express that fact accurately!

XX1

AN INTRODUCTION TO BIRD MUSIC,

Probably a few birds do sing the three tones evenly but
they are exceptions to the rule.

Why each species should have developed and retained
an established form of song it is not difficult to under-
stand. The habits, associations, and environment of the
bird have had much to do with the formation of his
music, and education all the rest. By education I mean
that gradual schooling of the imitative faculty, which,
.onscious or not, has resulted in the attainment of mu-
sical tones at once pleasing to the ear. The bird sings
first for love of music, and second ‘‘ for the love of the
lady.” Advisedly I put the lady second, for, if he did
not love music first he would not have sung to her, and
birds, like the rest of us, are a trifle selfish. What we
like most we think others will like as well, hence, in a
moment of unselfishness we share the object of our
selfishness!

It is a fallacy to suppose that the music of the wild
bird has been, or is, unprogressive; through thousands of
years it has advanced to its present form, yet there is
every evidence to-day that the progression has been
- nthil ad rem! The fact is, the bird has not arrived;
there is still no point to his song! He makes a fine
start, but he nearly always fails to finish on the tonic, or,
for that matter, anywhere at all. This, however, does
not signify a want of progressiveness; it rather suggests
a particular form of limitation. He has been imitating
his father or his companion, faults and all, and he has
not brain enough to understand that the far-reaching
law of music demandsa finale. Through two, yes, three
long seasons (long fur him) he has been learning his song,
imitating something he has heard, adding his own notes
and touches of expression here and there, and settling
upon a form which, in principle, will never change.
His first impression is a lasting one, and he will never
depart from it though he will make a marked, progres-
sive improvement in his handling of the theme.

Every bird sings his own song; no two sing exactly
alike. A sharp and retentive ear for musical form can
not fail to recognize those subtile differences of tone and
expression which make the song of every singer unique.

XXil

AN INTRODUCTION TO BIRD MUSIC,

There are, of course, similarities in the songs of birds of
the same species, but the differences, nevertheless, are as
distinct as those by means of which the ornithologist
has separated Bicknell’s Thrush from the Gray-cheeked
Thrush! There are immense differences in the individual
songs of the Vireos, Finches, Orioles, Tanagers, and
Thrushes. For lack of intimate acquaintance with the
music of a particular bird we think he sings just like
the next one—why! do all roosters have the same crow?
No, any farmer knows better than that. And does the
youthful rooster sing as well as the old one? Never!
Only one thing stands as unalterable in the song of a
given species,—that is, mechanical rhythm ; the rooster’s
crow, therefore, will ever be thus: ——- —— ——

We think there is a vast mediocrity of singers in
Nature’s chorus, and only occasionally a supreme soloist!
‘It is scarcely so; the master singer, I fear is often so
labeled without that wider acquaintance with the many
talented singers which would cause us to hesitate before
we hang the card over his neck. I would, I must, spend
an hour or more in the piano warerooms trying instru-
ments before I pronounced judgment on a particular
one, and in some respects the choice would be purely a
matter of taste. I wonder whether that delicate instru-
ment in the throat of the Hermit Thrush differs so
widely from the one made by the hand of man, that the
Great Designer succeeded in turning it out like a mere
machine, not one whit different from others he had
created! No! never does Nature repeat herself; it is
not one vast mediocre chorus, it is an endless variety
of soloists whose voices, filled with tone-color, redundant
in) melody, replete with expression, and strong in indi-
viduality, make up the orchestra which performs every
year the glad spring symphony. The Hermit is the
great tone artist, the Red-eyed Vireo is the obligato
accompanist, the Song Sparrow is the melodist, and the
Partridge controls the drums. But every individual
sings his own song !

XXili

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‘

A MUSICAL KEY.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THOSE WHO DO NOT READ
MUSIC.

Success in identifying a bird’s song depends more upon
the ability of the ear to discriminate differences of
rhythm than differences of tone; for, every species fol-
lows its own unalterable law in rhythmic time, no matter
how different are the songs of birds of the same species.
This is an apparently irrefragable principle which is the
key to an immediate recognition of the singer.

But there are those who entertain a contrary opinion.
Mr. Maurice Thompson, in Sylvan Secrets, writes: ‘‘ There
is no such element as the rhythmic beat in any bird-song
that Ihave heard. Modulation and fine shades of ‘ color’
as the musical critic has it, together with melodious
phrasing take the place of rhythm. . . . The absence of
true rhythm probably is significant of a want of power to
appreciate genuine music, the bird’s comprehension com-
passing no more than the value of sweet sounds merely
as such.” Now if the writer means what he says about
the ‘‘rhythmic beat ” he is certainly all astray, but if he
is confusing mechanical time with the rhythm or ‘‘ metre”
of poetry he is not only wrong but misleading in his use
of terms, for no English word expresses rhythmus vetter
than the word ‘‘ time,” and I shall presently demonstrate
the fact that birds know how to keep time perfectly.
But metre is a different thing, it implies proportion, and
of that the wild bird naturally knows but little.

The most obvious explanation of a ‘‘ rhythmic beat”
is the drum beat. Here it is:

rT | Mitt TT P) ry toa TT 1
Pytvieis afatitstat alt f

Any child would know what you were representing if
you tapped that way on the table. Now the question at
once arises, is there any bird that sings in accordance

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MIDDLE C |U
DIAGRAM SHOWINC RELATIVE POSITIONS

OF NOTES ON STAFF AND KEYBOARD.

XXV1

A MUSICAL KEY.

with time ora ‘‘ rhythmic beat”? Yes, not only one bird,
but forty! Here is the song of the Black-billed Cuckoo:
oS 6 ph ioe Ore bate 6 6 OF, TIS. 0.6: s'0' 4) we ou> ope abe
And here isis POON e's oi 4's 0. bes. 6) 9) 00 0,0 88
And here is the Flicker ....cccccscoccccccccecece
And the Black-throated Green Warbler .°. .e-s
And the Nashville Warbler .. .. «2 «ce cocce
And the Whip-poor-will . .. owe ecjorg eee
Not one of the little fellows above ever gets his rhythm
mixed up with that of the other fellow.

The next step is to become familiar with those mechani-
cal divisions of tone which the musical staff represents.
Tones of course are separated by regular intervals.*
The simplest demonstration of well-separated tones in
connection with the rhythmic beat will be found in the
song of the Peabody Bird :

> > >
d | Coir tir co
Old Sam Pea-body, Pea-body, Pea-body,

This little fellow frequently sings an interval of ‘ta
fifth,” that is, he sings A, perhaps, and jumps over B,C,
and D, to E. The musical staff shows this as clearly to
one who can not read music as it does to one who can:

, This time beat 1s the one commonly used by writers,

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is i (36 1& 2% 38 4b S&6e 16 26 36(46
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2 a.

+ +

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“SF

i
T

‘old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.

* The little bird does not always correctly heed his intervals, he
very often sings sharp or flat; but, strictly speaking, no person

XXVii

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DIAGRAM OF NOTE VALUES ETC.

XXVIlil

A MUSICAL KEY.

Economy of space demands the present compact ap-
pearance of the musical staff ; each line as well as each
space is used to represent some one of the keys of the
piano keyboard. The diagram of staff on page xxii,
shows exactly the relationship of the treble staff and
keyboard. Ihave drawn only the four octaves belong-
ing to the upper half of the keyboard, beginning with
middle C (close to the keyhole of the piano) and ending
with the fourth C above it, because within that compass
lie all the notes with which we have to do relative to
bird-music. Of these four octaves the lowest one (be-
ginning with middle C) is entirely below one’s whistle, in
fact it is extremely difficult to whistle the second D
above middle C so one can be heard any distance away !
As a matter of fact birds’ voices are pitched so high,
that most of them are somewhere within the compass of
the last, highest octave on the piano, and many of them
continue to the other side of the wood-work! This is the
case with all of the Warblers. Even the Peabody Bird
sings Old on the highest F, and for Sam and Peabody
(see the song diagram) jumps an interval of a fifth to the
topmost C of the piano. Whistle that if you can, and
you will have the correct pitch of this bird’s song.
Nearly all birds have the ability to jump an interval and
hit a tone with a tolerable degree of accuracy.

The diagram shows the extent of the various intervals.
The so-called interval of a minor third, common in the
Field Sparrow's song, is that which includes only one
ebony key between the three ivory ones. For instance,
D, E, F, and E, F, G, and A, B, C, and B, C, D, include but
a single ‘‘ ebony,” in their combinations ; all other thirds
include two, and are called major in contradistinction to
minor thirds. The song diagram will show the Cuckoo
sings a major and the Field Sparrow a minor third.

The so-called slur, or dash connecting two or more
notes, is of utmost importance in expressing their char-

does or can sing with a mathematically accurate pitch. We simply
come a great deal nearer to the note A than the bird does. Itis
wholly a matter of degree. So it is well to remember at the outset
that there are some very dubious tones which come from Nature’s
orchestra.

XXix

C-

—_

Me ET eae
Indig . ‘
ive

CDEF CABCDETGABC DE PGA BC DEF 'GAB:C

Main’s |whiistlle

aS CO ET SS a ee
ong) Spé row

tole
Riobin

ermit Thirush

9
ar. o
Ad

ing he be:
Thras

YVcreecnt

These records represent the song
compass of individual singers
and not the range of voice in the
species, As some birds are likely
fo sing higher or lower than these
particular ones, the species range
MIDDLE C is atrifie greater, |

DIACRAM SHOWING THE PITCH OF TWENTY ONE
B/RD SONCS RELATIVELY WITH THE KEYBOARD.

ULL

XXX

A MUSICAL KEY.

acter. The explanatory diagram showing the values of
notes demonstrates also the value of the slur in connec-
tion with the syllables Pea-bod-y which the Peabody
Bird sings. In the case of this slur connecting two notes
separated by an interval as in the Wood Pewee’s song,
it indicates that the whistle touches by even gradations
all the intermediate tones. On the contrary, a simple
dot over a note expresses the idea that the tone must be
given in a percussive manner.* My ‘‘sawtooth” sign is
borrowed in part from the trill sign in music, it is in-
tended to express a double tone, which may be demon-
strated by whistling the note indicated and humming
simultaneously the bass tone at G or G flat, the second
one below middle C, or, for that matter, any deep tone
convenient to the whistler. The songs of the Scarlet
Tanager and Yellow-throated Vireo are strongly char-
acterized by this overtone.

That various birds sing in different keys and in differ-
ent measures of time goes without saying. The key,
however, is a very unimportant matter; but it is neces-
sary to know how it is expressed.

The natural key is the octave C to ¢ (with its inter-
mediate harmonic tones).

Key of G=1 sharp, begins a fifth above C, at G, and
sharps the F.

Key of D = 2 sharps, begins a fifth above G, at D, and
sharps F and C,

Key of A = 3 sharps, begins a fifth above D, at A, and
sharps C, F, and G.

Key of E = 4 sharps, begins a fifth above A, at E, and
sharps F, G, C, and D.

Key of B = 5 sharps, begins a fifth abeve E, at B, and
sharps C, D, F, G, and A.

Key of F = 1 flat, begins a fifth below C, at F, and
flats B.

Key of B flat = 2 flats, begins a fifth below F, at B flat,
and flats B and E.

* In a few instances a dot, and a dash connecting two notes appear
together ; this indicates that the tone is whistled suddenly and is
seft as suddenly for the next one, so the twoare pretty closely con
gmected. (See the Oriole’s music.)

XXXi

CDE F-GABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDE FGABC

tT} Te ip
1 |” at Cae
E 0 Sea.
BS}

i
er
| we

Ea ee a EE,
om
7)

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a ae
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9

breasted

|_____ The first three records are conspicu-

|___ ous instances of a comprehensive
voice lacking determinate pitch in
the higher register Many other bird

mIDDLEC yoices are similarly indefinite.

DIAGRAM SHOWING THE PITCH OF FIFTEEN
BIRD SONGS RELATIVELY WITH THE KEYBOARD.

XXXii

A MUSICAL KEY,

Key of E flat = 3 flats, begins a fifth below B flat, at
E flat, and flats A, B, and E.

Key of A flat = 4 flats, begins a fifth below E flat, at
A flat, and flats A, B, D, and E.

Key of D flat =5 flats, begins a fifth below A flat, at
D flat, and flats D, E, G, A, and B.

I have no records of bird music on the keys six
sharps, or six flats which are identical with each other.
The signs of sharps or flats belonging to a given key are
placed at the beginning of the musical staff.

Nearly all birds sing in strictly measured time, many
sing a perfect bar, or measure, and a considerable num.-
ber, several bars. The Whip-poor-will, for instance,
sings an endless succession of bars in accurate six-eight
time, that is, within each bar (which is marked off on
the staff by simple perpendicular lines) will be found
six eighth notes or their equivalent in notes or pauses,
thus* :

(2'!44 Vivace. 2 _ ; 2 3 2
s y Y mn “t

"2
¢ — Whip-poor-will, Whippoorwill, Whip-poor-will, Whip-poor-mill,

The time § is therefore placed alongside of the key sig-
nature of one flat (which is B flat) which means the
bird sang in $ time in the key of F. Again, the Black-
billed Cuckoo will frequently sing in two-four time, and
we will find two eighth notes and a quarter rest (all of
which is the equivalent of two fourth notes) in one bar:

dh Andante, A. Ritard, 2. ‘A.

2 } oe | Yee Se, | Dl A S | Fs ae | : i he Se
rapt O26 at a FeO)
SS An eee ee o4@ ead ee zd eed

Cou-c00, Cou-C00, cou-Cu-c00, COU-COO, COU-CU-COQ, COU-CU-CO0,

* Not infrequently the first bar of a song contains but one beat,
represented by a note or notes ; in that case the other beats neces-

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A MUSICAL KEY. |

And yet again, some other bird may seem to sing as
many as six eighth notes, or their equivalent, to a bar,
as. for instance, the Song Sparrow, a great variety of
whose music will be found among the pages farther
along devoted to him.

The fact is, no matter how doubtfully complete the
song of the little bird proves to be, there is no question
whatever about the singer keeping time! He can not
sustain a melody of any considerable length, nor can he
conform to our conventional ideas of metre, but he can
keep time perfectly, and a knowledge of his rhythmic
method, is, I believe, the strongest factor in his identifi-
cation by the ear !

This matter of time-keeping is one of the most import.
ant elements of music. Naturally, therefore, the drum
being a musical instrument, I begin this key by using
its beat as the best marked illustration of mechanical
rhythm. Now, if we return to this illustration of the
drum-beat we will see that within a minute of time a
drummer is supposed to keep the run of one hundred
and twenty time beats, and to strike his drum rhyth-
mically, twice skipping a time beat and then three times
not skipping it. Although a singing bird does not keep
this mechanical time with any greater degree of accu-
racy than the artist pianist or vocalist, he does keep it
with all the accuracy that art demands, and that is more
than sufficient for our purpose. I have consequently
placed over a great number of the bird songs, the metro-
nome time in which they were sung. People who are
undrilled in music are dreadfully heedless of time ; they
rarely if ever give a note ‘‘its face value.” To use an
apt simile a dollar passes for fifty cents, and vice versa !
This will never do in music; we must heed the relative
values of notes and rests and movements in bird songs

sary to complete the bar will be represented by the notes or rests
in the last bar which will also lack the full complement of beats.
The first and last bars, then, will together form but one complete
bar. This condition is caused by the song beginning on an unac-
cented note which is usually short and merely introductory to the
more important one which begins the next bar. (See the records
of Oriole’s music for an instance.)

XXXV

A MUSICAL KEY.

or else we must forever remain in ignorance of their
Individual character. Wemay value a half or a quarter
note according to our discretion, but once having de-
cided upon that value we must sustain it.

If one does not possess that interesting and simple
little instrument called Maelzel’s Metronome, the follow-
ing instructions will serve in the construction of an
excellent substitute, Attach a small weight to the end
of a common tape measure with half, quarter, and
eighth inches marked thereon; a penknife suspended
crosswise (not lengthwise) will do. The following table
will then show the equation of inches and metronome
beats ; the last are indicated by the number per minute :

60 = 39} inches 112 = 112 inches
66= 3817 “ 116 = 10} *
72 = 268 « 1200= 9} «
80 = 218 “ 126 = 8} «
88 = 18} <“ 132 = 7 «
92= 164 “ 188 = 7 «
96 = 15, « 144= 68 “
100 = 143 « 2= 6 “
104= 188 “ 160 = 5g
108 = 193“ 168= 43 “

THE MUSICAL SCALES OF THE THRUSHES

It may seem rather extravagant praise to sum up the
song of the Hermit Thrush in the unqualified terms I have
used on pages 256-57, but I am confident that a close stu-
dent of his music must surely arrive at the conclusion that
it possesses a subtle charm which rarely if ever distin-
guishes the songs of other birds. Theodore Roosevelt has
expressed himself most emphatically on that point, he
writes: “In melody, and above all in that finer, higher
melody where the chords vibrate with the touch of eternal
sorrow, it (the Nightingale) cannot rank with such singers
as the Wood Thrush and Hermit Thrush. The serene,
ethereal beauty of the Hermit’s song, rising and falling
through the still evening under the archways of hoary
mountain forests that have endured from time everlasting;
the golden leisurely chiming of the Wood Thrush sounding
on a June afternoon, stanza by stanza, through sun-flecked
groves of tall hickories, oaks, and chestnuts—with these
there is nothing in the Nightingale’s song to compare.”
I wrote here, years ago, in similar vein: ‘‘The passionate
and plaintive notes of the Nightingale apparently have no
place in the Hermit’s song; our gifted Thrush sings more of
the glory of life and less of its tragedy, more of the joy of
heaven and less of the passion of earth. That is a purely
human point of view all the more significant because one
bird sings to the European, and the other to the American
ear.”” (See page 257.)

To sum it up in a few words, no other bird has developed
what is plainly an intelligent use of a musical scale aptly
fitted for expressive song—the so-called Pentatonic Scale.
We have become so familiar with the two comprehensive,
modern scales, the Chromatic which includes all the tones
within the octave, and the Diatonic which, in the key of
C, is represented by the sav ivories of the piano keyboard

XXXVil

THE MUSICAL SCALES OF THE THRUSHES.

that we fail to appreciate the expressiveness of a more
limited one. But there is a third and primitive mode com-
mon to all folk-song, sometimes called the Scotch scale,
which is perfectly represented by five of the ebonies of
the piano. There is, however, considerable latitude in the

GAB pF

choice of five tones within the octave. Here is the scale:

nPentatonic. Key Gh

Here it is again in F, A minor, and G:

The Pentatonie scale of the Hermit Thrush,

Q
er. Ee | ee Beat P-3
je
Three positions on the staffwith but one signature

Thus, by naively avoiding B flat in the key of F, and F
sharp in the key of G the early musician could make the
signature of the key of C answer for three additional keys,
the third being A minor the so-called relative minor of the
key of C. The result is significant, for one should remem-
ber that these are primitive modes upon which has been
based nearly all music whether it be of bird or man. Our
musical ancestors therefore tuned their instruments ap-
proximately to the key of C, and by adhering to a penta-
tonic scale could palm off no end of tonal variety upon the
not too discriminating primeval ear.

XXXViil

THE MUSICAL SCALES OF THE THRUSHES.

Our Hermit has not progressed beyond that quaint,
primitive scale; just there he has reached his own limita-
tion, why should we expect more? Indeed we may well
marvel at the skillful use of so expressive a scale by so tiny
a brain. The Thrush is a pygmy beside which the Scotch
piper is an immense giant; comparisons of their music are
out of place here, but it is sufficient to say the American bird
has outwhistled the piper with his own Scotch pentatones.

For some years I had wondered why the song of the Her-
mit was—at least to my ears—reminiscent of Scottish
melody; finally a close scrutiny of my innumerable nota-
tions taken afield revealed the nature of the limited scale;
here is its transcription: please notice that the five keys

Hermit Thrush. Various keys § the Pentatonre scale.

C1 _-@f-Aminor2,-@-F 3 Eminor 4 Dminor5S
t+ sft gift ry
££ 2a
Pd f pa Zit e
{HH | aa

yr
Whih but one signature

require but one signature, and also, that the following five
songs confined to the scales and the keys as above distinctly
suggest the character of Scottish melody:

“3%

tek

ye. 2 3
Various themes o the scale and keys preceding.

This scale is by no means a peculiar possession of the
Scotch; Dvorak used it in the Largo movement of his New
World Symphony, and in his popular Humoresque, Op.
101, No. 7. The scale is also characteristic of our southern
Negro melody, and of Stephen Foster’s beautiful and
pathetic songs. A quaint old melody entitled a Northern
Refrain* by Charles E. Horn of New York, 1838, contains

* New York so late as the year 1864 was famous for its negro
chimney-sweeps. The title of this songis: ‘‘A Northern Refrain,
suggested from a well-known New York Carol, sung with enthusiastic

XXXix

THE MUSICAL SCALES OF THE THRUSHES.

a most admirable example of the pentatonic scale in its
crooning street call of the old-time negro chimney-sweep
of that city:

Observe-the G sharp in the ascending scale which replaces
the F in the descending scale. That is an absolutely con-
sistent pentatonic variation which is employed by the
Thrush in themes 1 and 3 where he sings the semitone E
instead of the tone D in scales one would be justified in
thinking should consist of C, D, F, A, C and F, A, C, D, F,
(see also theme 1 and other pentatonic forms on page 260).

Although the Nightingale frequently touches upon this
expressively scale there is no evidence that he is able to
amplify it with the ability which distinguishes the Hermit
Thrush. The foreign songster possesses a wonderful voice,
the American songster a wonderfully constructed song.

Often the Wood Thrush resorts to the pentatonic form

applause by Mrs. C. E. Horn. The words written expressly for her
by G. P. Morris, Esq. The melody and arrangement composed and
respectfully dedicated to The St. Nicholas Society by Charles E.
Horn, New York. Published by Davis & Horn, 1838.’ Hornin
those days was a celebrated musician and composer formerly con-
nected with the Princess’s Theatre, London. He was finally conduc-
tor of the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston. George Pope Morris
was none other than the poet who wrote the famous ‘‘ Woodman,
Spare that Tree.”’

THE MUSICAL SCALES OF THE THRUSHES.

but again makes no attempt to use it in full as the Hermit
does, witness his scales 4 and 5 in this notation:

Scales of the eed Thrush
4s PEP lle a

== am. | B26 | |Pel | i lg haat
|_| @ rd | Y a et ey AN |
fA) | & The
Ve majer RO ces

“Triad; major, minor. Dimd seventh. Pentatonic........-

The Wood Thrush is generally content to render variations
upon the components of the triad and the diminished
seventh; beyond these it is apparent he is unable to progress.

But the Olive-back, like the Hermit, has advanced to a
more extended musical form and works that to its limit.
Here is a progressive harmonic setting of his primitive
scale which is confined to minor thirds—or something
wonderfully like them—within the limit of the diminished
seventh:

re =

en eet = ae oar
_£ 1 | ad ix
marae ji Ebr } | ae
es ae ea

If one begins at any point on the piano keyboard and
progresses upward skipping two keys and striking the
third, of course counting in the ebonies, one will eventuate
upon one of the three forms recorded above; there are only
three, no more. This is another primitive scale at which
both man and bird arrived during some period in the
development of their musical faculties. Whatever the
Olive-back may sing which is not in strict accordance with
this scale is sure to be merely a modification of it.

As for the Veery, although one must translate his music
into the chromatic scale, he does not really follow but
sprawls over it with a weird harmonic charm heedless of all
musical intervals.. His tones are so slurred and mixed

xli

THE MUSICAL SCALES OF THE THRUSHES.

that the effect is one of a graceful, descending glissando,
thus:

vay

7. ss
i ee |
f >

No definite scale

None of the 'Thrushes’ songs can be fully heard at a dis-
tance greater than seventy feet or so from the singer. There
are too many charming overtones and undertones which
otherwise must be missed, and what is more to the point,
the musical scale is not in evidence. The following record
of a Hermit’s song is ample testimony to the fact:

Incomplete theme of Hermit Thrush
Q Dh i

4 7
A bil D i
iA\’ py | fa

This was taken from the highway in Campton, N. H., a
little less than a quarter of a mile from the point in the
woods where the bird sang, July 1, 1918, and again a year
later. A near record of the same bird’s song included four
more notes, distinct, but softer in tone and more rapidly
delivered.

There can be no question whatever about the actuality
of these scales upon which the music of the Thrushes and
other advanced singing birds is based. I use the term
music instead of song advisedly for the latter implies mel-
ody, and it is an indisputable fact that most of the so-
called songs of the feathered singers are not melodic but are
of the nature of free fantasias more or less confined to a
very limited form at best never extended beyond the
pentatonic scale—a scale which is sufficient for the expres-
sion of the most beautiful music the world has ever heard.

xlii

A GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS COMMONLY
USED IN THE NOTATIONS.

Accel. or Accelerando. Faster and faster.

Acciaccatura. A short note which is crushed against
the principal note, as it were (i. e., both struck ai
the same instant), but which is instantly released
and the principal key held.

Adagio. Slow.

Ad libitum. At pleasure.

Affettuoso. Tenderly ; with feeling.

Agitato. With agitation.

Allegretto. A little quick; not so quick as allegro.

Allegro. Quick ; cheerful, joyful.

Andante. The same as Moderato; going at a moderate

Animato, With animation.

Ben. Well, good.

Cadenza. A more or less elaborate flourish of indefinite
form, introduced immediately preceding the close
of the composition.

Cantabile. In a graceful, singing style.

Chromatic Scale. All the tones, intermediate and dia-
tonic, in successive order.

Con. With; as, con brio, with spirit.

Cres. or Crescendo. Gradually increasing in strength
or power.

Dacapo. From the beginning.

Da capo al Fine. From the beginning to the end,

Delicato. Delicately.

Diatonic Scale. The five whole tones and two semi-
tones of any key, in successive order.

Dim. or Diminuendo. Gradually diminishing.

Dolce. Sweetly.

Dot. A point placed after a note or rest which adds one
half to the rhythmical value of the note or rest.

xliii

GLOSSARY.

Dynamics. The force of musical sounds, The degrees
range from pp., which is the softest, through p. m.
and f. to ff., which is the loudest,

Finale. }

ES The end.

Forte. Loud,

Fortissimo. Very loud.

Fuoco, Fire, energy.

Glissando. Playing a rapid passage on the piano by
sliding the tips of the fingers along on the keys,

Interval. The difference of pitch between two tones.

Largo. Slow.

Legato. Connected ; each tone of a phrase being con-
tinued until the next is heard.

Lento. Slow.

Marcato. Marked.

Moderato, Going at a moderate pace,

Phrase. A short tone-chain which makes sense, but
not complete sense,

Pianissimo. Very soft.

Portamento. A gliding of the voice from one tone to
another.

Presto. Quickly.

Rallent. or Rallentando. Gradually slower and softer.

Ritard. or Ritardando. Slackening the time.

Scherzando, Playfully ; sportively,.

Sempre, Always.

Sforzando. With emphasis on one particular tone;
forced.

Sostenuto. Sustained and smooth.

Staccato. Short and distinct; detached.

Syncopation. The displacement of the usual accent,
either by cutting it away from the commonly ac-
cented beat, and driving it over to that part of a
measure not usually accented, or by prolonging a
tone begun in a weak beat past the instant when
the usual accent should occur,

Theme.. A simple melody on which variations are
made, :

xliv

GLOSSARY.

Tonic. The key-tone
- Tremolo. A note made to quiver or shake.

Triad. A chord consisting of three tones—i.e., the
tonic with its third and its fifth.

Trill. A rapid alternation of two contiguous tones.

Triplets. Three equal tones performed in the time of
one beat.

Vivace. Quickly ; sprightly.

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MSE Fees

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FIELD BOOK OF
WILD BIRDS AND THEIR MUSIC.

BOB-WHITE.

ORDER GALLINZ. GALLINACEOUS BIRDS.
_ Family Tetraonide.

This family includes the Quail, Partridge, and Prairie
Hen, etc., all game birds which rely upon their protective
coloring for concealment from enemies. As a conse-
quence, they do not fly unless compelled to do so, and
then the noise or whirr of their concave, stiff-feathered
wings commonly distracts and startles the pursuer, and
gives the birds a better chance to escape. Asa rule, the
family is not gifted with musical calls, but in the broadest
sense of the word the crow of the barnyard Chanticleer
and the whistle of the Bob-white are among some of the
most suggestive and beautiful music of Nature.

Bob-white Bob-white is one of Nature’s best evi-
parece dences of her principle of protective color-

virginianus 12g}; one might easily step upon the tail of
L. 10.00 inches the bird, mistaking it for some of the old,
Allthe year last winter’s leaves—if the tail remained
in place long enough! It is almost impossible to enter
the thicket or wood frequented by’ a covey of Quail
without experiencing the sensation of being thoroughly
startled yourself and of putting to confusion a whole
community of peaceful dwellers, for suddenly, with-
out the slightest warning, six or eight panic-stricken
creatures appear almost directly under foot, and in hot
haste fly for their lives. That would scarcely happen if
it were not for the protective coloring ; the bird knows it
can rely on this and possibly escape detection, therefore
flight is a last resort—and one treads close to the tail!
The colors of the bird are an ingenious mixture of dead-
leaf tints—brown, russet, gray, and white. The throat,
region in front of and over the eye, white ; upper parts
tawny brown, russet, dark gray, and buff; neck quite
dark bordering on the white throat-patch, then fading
gradually into a mottled region of ruddy brown a trifle
pinkish, gray, and black ; under parts gray-white barred
with black ; sides chestnut broken by gray-white spots
and margins of black ; tail rather insignificant, and an

FAMILY Tetraonida,

ashen gray. Nest, on the ground usually in grassy
places; it will contain from ten to sixteen white eggs.

The bird is a prolific breeder, and one may often find
a nest with as many as fifteen eggsin it. It is also the
case that the hen bird will successfully raise two large
broods in one season.

The Quail is generally not a migrant; it ranges south
from southern Maine and New Hampshire to the Gulf of
Mexico, and westward to eastern Minnesota, It is nota
characteristic woodland bird, and as a consequence is ill-
fitted for the exposure of our hard northern winters. I
know of no Quail whatever in central New Hampshire,
save the few which have been brought there, and there
is no doubt.but that most of these have perished.

The Quail is by no means the least among the mem-
bers of Nature’s orchestra. As his name implies, his
song simply combines two tones admirably represented
by the syllables, Bob... white! But one must whistle
them, or do the difficult trick of whistling and saying
the words simultaneously. Nor is this all, the word
Bob should be rendered staccato—it must fairly bounce
like a ball, so short must it be, and the white should bea
long slurred tone extending all the way from Bob to the
end of white, a range of at least five or six tones. To il-
lustrate the song by the aid of the piano one should strike
F (the third one above the middle C) quickly, as though
the ivory were hot, and again the second time, jumping
at once from it to D sharp. This is what a musician
would call an augmented sixth, and that is what may be
considered the nearest approximation to the range of
the Quail’s voice. I sometimes think it is only a plain
sixth (see song No. 2) without the extension (or augmen-
tation) of the D to E flat,* and again at another time Iam
sure I hear a full seventh. One can not lay down a rule
about such a thing as that ; wild music must of necessity
be more or less free from the restrictions of accurate pitch.
Nor does the Quail always whistle F or make a jump as
high as a sixth. Song No. 4 is what the bird gave me
in the middle of May, 1900, in the Arnold Arborétum,

*Properly written, the augmented D is D sharp; but D sharp
and E flat are identical,

Bob- white

BOB-WHITE,

near Boston. The key is the same, but the bird began on
E flat, and jumped from F up to B flat. It need nos be
supposed that the Quail confines himself to Bob-white
either, he frequently throws in an extra “bob” (see
song No, 3). Mr. Cheney, in Wood Notes Wild, also

vd...
N41 NG
p> 4 2 (f
L i
a- vo + 2
/ | Bob-wh ite? / Bob- “4 ites
Rk. a ; ar a 4 :
}- DOr a \: 2: Po Gb ye
ee eT i ej, 9 1. FF gk
NF | al a + 7}
— . 2
a ey «3 : N24 i
= 4
lV we { U
J Bob! Bob-whlite! (7 Bob-white
._*_% | t
2 z $
: PAs) a ae a = rr .

ae er eR LA BR = iA
: 4
records a similar song. There was a children’s May-
song, popular, I remember, in the public schools of New
York years ago, at the time George F. Bristow was
principal instructor of music, which began with Bob-
white’s call, in a sixth.

ile he

al .

— » T i —
2 cAI Rea

_ How rare the Quail is along the northern border of its
range, not only my own but Mr. Cheney’s testimony

¥)

FAMILY Tetraonida,

will prove, for he says: ‘‘ Familiar as I have been with
almost all parts of Vermont for more than thirty years,
I have seen only one Quail in the State, and he was evi-
dently a ‘ tramp.’”

Mr. Ned Dearborn writes in his Birds of Durham,
N. H.: ‘* While the Quail is a permanent resident, its
numbers vary greatly from year to year. In the fall of
1897 they were plentiful, not less than fifty living within
a radius of two miles of the college. Comparatively
few were shot, yet in the spring they were nearly all
gone, and for the next two years they were scarce. In
1900 they were fully as abundant as in 1897.” He also
writes in his Birds of Belknap Co., N. H., that Tilton is
‘¢ about the northern limit of the Quail’s range.”

The habits of the birds are, to say the least, peculiar.
Descend suddenly upon a mother with her chicks and
she immediately goes crazy, leaves her offspring (which
at once scatters for cover), and proceeds to flop along the
ground as though injured, all the while uttering alarm-
notes and frightened chirps! But this is done mostly
for effect; if it distracts the mind of the intruder, so
much the better chance for escape ; and truth to tell, in
less than three seconds there is not a trace of mother or
chicks in the neighborhood. In case a covey of mature
birds are scattered, for quite a while afterward one
may hear them calling themselves together again by
peculiarly expressive minor notes singularly like those of
young chickens. They usually roost on some little hillock
in pasture or field, in a closely huddled group, tails in
and heads out; in this position, so admirably adapted
for defence, a charge by the enemy is often repulsed
with success and brought to utter confusion. The sud-
den whirr and flap of a lot of wings is no ordinary thing
to face ; it would unnerve even the crafty fox, and one
may easily imagine him creeping unguardedly upon what
—to quote Mr, Chapman’s excellent description—will
shortly prove to be ‘‘a living bomb whose explosion is
scarcely less startling than that of dynamite.”

PARTRIDGE,

Partridge There is no doubt about it at all, here
aoe Grouse i; the kettledrum of Nature’s orchestra !
cidihellecs The talented performer can not be ex-

L. 16.00 inches celled in his wonderful accelerando even
All the year by the expert who manages the ‘“‘ kettles”
in Theodore Thomas’s Orchestra. The ‘‘drum” of
the Partridge is a most mysterious practice of this fa-
vorite game bird. Nearly all of us have seen the
Partridge, many of us have heard the drumming, but
who — to quote William Hamilton Gibson — ‘“‘who,
will show us the drum?” In appearance the bird re-
sembles his smaller relative Bob-white. The prevailing
colors are red-brown variegated by marks and spots of
sepia, black, ochre-buff, and dull white ; the broad tail
is margined by white, and this is limited by a broad band
of black or blackish sepia ; sides of the neck marked with
glossy black or sepia-black feathers ; the breast indefi.
nitely but the sides rather definitely barred. The female
is similarly but not so strongly marked. The nest is on
the ground usually beneath a tree or among brush; it
ma contain from eight to twelve eggs, rarely more, of
a buffish tint. The range of the bird is from Virginia
and along the mountains to Georgia, and northward to
Canada. It is usually very plentiful in Campton, N. H.,
except after a rainy season. Its diet is comprehensive,
including innumerable seeds, berries of all kinds, ap.
ples, haw apples, buds of many kinds, leaves of clover,
sorrel, crowfoot, and dandelion, and insects such as
locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, and beetles.
There has been no end of theorizing by eminent natu-
ralists and others interested, regarding the way the Par-
tridge drums his drum. But I think all opinion may be
set aside in the face of the fact that the sound is pro-
duced by the concussion of air caused by the rapid
movement of the wings; the latter apparently strike
the breast ; in reality they do not, for close observation
shows that the wings are brought considerably forward
while the body of the bird is stretched to a position as
nearly perpendicular as possible.* One good view of a
* Not always though, for my own observations are not altogether
unlike those of others, who state that he does not stand upright !

FAMILY Tetraonide.

bird drumming ought to be a sufficient demonstration of
the fact that the air has everything to do with the case
and the body of the bird little or nothing atall. It isthe
air that booms under the rapid lashing of the wings,
just as it is the air which sings in a baritone voice
through the primaries of the Nighthawk’s wings as he
drops like a shot through the sky.

The tone of the Partridge’s kettledrum may be safely
recorded at A flat as well as at A, or at B flat where
Mr. Cheney places it. It is rather difficult to locate the

The authors two records. _ SP Cheneys record.
tt: 1 —— —t
| CA \ i bh it
{ 5 U i v i

trans travn

tone with exactness, as it lacks life and character, but it
may be distinctly heard at a distance of a quarter of a
mile or more. The first tones are staccato, and widely
separated, but the last are run together in a rapid roll,
thus : ;

Accel. et cres. J presto. dim,
| ee ee en ee

«\:

O44

a Se ae *
Boon boom boom boom boo boo bur-r-rrr-rrre rrr rd

Upon seeing the bird go through this remarkable per-
formance one is struck with amazement, for at the end
he subsides into utter quiescence instead of flying all to
pieces! Why the stump or the rock on which he is perched
is not at once covered with every feather from his body
it is difficult to understand. But no, he still holds to-
gether, and probably if one waits a few more minutes he
will be at it again. Watch him closely, and presently
the head begins to bob up exactly like that of a rooster
before he begins to crow,.now the wings are spread and
jerk back and forward with a hollow thud at each
movement, and the next moment the whole bird is a
blurr of feathers and the air is filled with a rushing
whirr which is swiftly graduated to a finish as the body
of the creature becomes distinct and quiet once more,

PARTRIDGE.

Then it is, as Mr. Cheney says, ‘‘ he drops into the for-
lornest of attitudes, looking as if he would never move
again.”

In winter the Partridge finds an abundance of food
in the northern woods. Partridge berries, wintergreen
(Gaultheria procumbens), tree buds, and a host of things
~ common in the winter woods make up his diversified

menu, so he does not starve. Nor does he freeze to
death in the coldest weather, for he burrows under the
snowdrift and finds in its shelter a comfortable bedroom
in which to spend the night secure from the prowling
fox. His feet also are amply protected from the frost
by a thick growth of stout bristles arranged along the
toes ; these bristles, like snowshoes, serve to bear him up
in walking over the snow. The growth begins in Octo-
ber, but by the first of April it has entirely vanished.

The Partridge acts very much like the Quail when he
is flushed: suddenly there is a buzz and a whirr almost
at one’s feet and a frightened bird rises with violent
haste, uttering hysterical notes of alarm, and flies off
horizontally into the depths of the forest, leaving the
intruder with nerves so badly shaken that his aim is
spoiled and his gun useless. I quite unexpectedly
came upon a hen bird with her chicks one summer's
day, and the commotion that ensued was out of all
proportion with the occasion ; there was a tremendous
rumpus among the dried leaves as the little chicks scat-
tered, and the distracted mother promptly lost her wits
in the endeavor to leave the spot in several directions
at once. There were whistles, and chirps, and clucks
pitched in a high key at all points of the compass, then
I added a few plaintive chirps of my own as an experi-
ment; back came the mother in reckless panic, with
every individual feather on end, and to my amazement
flew at my legs in a maddened fury! I had quite a
lively time for a few seconds, and then, when her pur-
pose of checking me was‘accomplished, she flew abruptly
away, probably saying to herself—for she still vocifer-
ated loudly—‘‘ Thank goodness! I made that old goose
concentrate his attention on me, and the children are
safe!”

FAMILY Bubonide.

ORDER RAPTORES, PREYING BIRDS,

Family Bubonide. OWLS.

This family includes a great number of species about
twenty of which inhabit North America. Of these the
Great Horned Owl, the Barred Owl, and the Screech
Owl furnish the most representative differences of type,
if not of voice. The syllables of the Barred Owl, ac-
cording to Mr. Chapman (and my own observations have
led to a similar-conclusion), are, whoo-whoo-whoo, who-
hoo, to-whoo-ah. The difference between this hoot and
that of the Great Horned Owl, whose record follows, is
apparent at a glance, but there is also a rising inflection
to the voice of the Barred Owl, which is a better point
of discrimination. Farther than this, from a musical
standpoint, it seems unnecessary to go, as Owls can
scarcely be classed among the song-birds. They are rap-
torial, and their voices convey to the ear a very tolerable
idea of their character.

The Owl’s eye is fixed in its socket ; as a consequence
the head turns around as though it were fixed upon a
pivot. I imagine the Owl is therefore a perfect example
of what, according to current slang, is termed the rubber
neck !

Screech Owl It is an open question how many birds
Megascops asio one is justified in including among the so-
eg ae called singers. Certainly the Screech Owl
is not on the ‘‘ prohibitive” list of song-
birds issued under the laws of the State. But to one
who studies bird-music there can be little doubt about
the Screech Owl; he deserves an important position
among the soloists, the quivering tremolo of his remark-
able voice has in it the very essence of music, the ex-
pression of ‘‘ thoughts too deep for words” embodied in
tones of deepest mystery, for whether these tones are
properly described as dulcet or blood-curdling is alto-
gether a matter of opinion dependent upon the listener’s
state of mind.
The colors of the Screech Owl are a mixture of mottled
brown, chestnut, ash-gray, black and ochre, on a gray-

Screech Owl

ad
. |

SCREECH OWL.

white ground. There are two color-phases of the bird,
one is warm and ruddy-toned, and the other is cold and
gray-brown-toned> The beautiful eyes are a topaz yel-
low. The nest is generally in the hollow of an apple-
tree, or some other tree not far from a dwelling. The
eggs are pure white.

When one considers the character of this Owl’s song
in connection with his bill of fare, it is not surprising
that the former is somewhat indicative of the nature of
the latter. What with mice, small birds, snakes, and
frogs as a standard diet, why should not one’s song
savor of the terrible, and cause the listener’s blood to run
cold! To be sure that breathless falling of the voice
seems to denote exhaustion, and the quavering tones ab-
ject terror, but after all this is pure imagination, for the
next moment the voice suggests that of an operatic
singer practising the descending chromatic scale ! What-
ever the eerie cry seems like, whether the screech of the
pioneer’s wife as she is scalped by a red-handed Indian
under the cold rays of an indifferent moon, or the tech-
nical practice of the ‘‘ prima donna,” one thing is cer-
tain, all who have ever heard the strange song agree
that there is something uncanny aboutit! Mr. Chapman
writes : ‘* When night comes one may hear the Screech
Owl's tremulous wailing whistle. It is a weird, melan-
choly call, welcomed only by those who love Nature’s
voice whatever be the medium through which she
speaks.” Mr. Ned Dearborn also writes, ‘‘ The uncanny
cry of a Screech Owl once heard will never be forgotten.”

On one occasion several summers ago, I was hurriedly
invited about sundown by one of the members of the
family, to investigate the nature of a strange voice that
issued from the border of the woods near the cottage.
Although I knew the note of the Screech Owl perfectly
well, this note was less musical and only remotely re-
sembled it by a curious tremolo:

ft Young Owls. 7. a, e

wT
na

rine ee ne] ee ————— |
* Teher.r-whiex! Teher-r-whieu! Tcher-r-whieu!

FAMILY Bubonide.

So Iconcluded to put the matter to the test by giving son-
orolisly the full Screech Owl song in a series of quavering
whistles running down the scale. In less than five seconds
there appeared in the dusk of the evening half a dozen
young Screech Owls, who flew about with silent wings,
and at last perched upon the rustic fence, the arbor, and
the old boat which was filled with garden flowers. They
had answered my call promptly, and had come to see
““what wasup!” Their notes were simply weird, a sort
of cross between a sneeze and the wheeze of a pair of
leathern bellows with the wail of a ‘‘ half-frozen puppy ”
(Wilson’s simile) thrown in to make matters more mys-
terious! I shortly came to the conclusion that these
were young birds which had not yet learned to sing
properly, so I gave them a lesson or two, at the same
time profiting by the experience, and getting in a few
lessons for myself. The interview proving satisfactory
or unsatisfactory (I do not know which) the birds flew

fr rrr = raw

} & = bh baat TI
:
(\) i a ' = / s i # Po “7 ;
| rs ¥

ew see ac *
W-w-whieuw-u-u-u-u-u-u-r! Ah-ool

away. But I had got a new idea of variety in Owl
music, and had learned that the following familiar dul-
cet tones were not by any means all of the repertoire of
the Screech Owl.

-,_Tremando.

metedececadeceeeeed ease:

,, = . meet

My annotations have, in most instances, proved very
similar to those of Mr. Cheney whose verbal description
of the song can not be improved upon. He writes: ‘* This
owl ascends the scale generally not more than one or two
degrees” (i, e., one or two tones); ‘* the charm lies in the
manner of his descent sometimes by a third, again by a
fourth, and still again by asixth. I can best describe it

Great Horned Owl

. wae
ee

FS Res

7 ity
: ns
t

SCREECH OWL.

as a sliding tremolo,—a trickling down, like water over
pebbles : ft

From S.P.Cheney'’s record.

) ae |

sine 4 « > = —

Ah.. alg aes = 00, Ah-00, <Ah-00, Hh-oo.

Perhaps the descent of the whinny of a horse comes near-
est to it of any succession of natural sounds.”

But whatever may be our estimate of the song, the
fact remains it is bound up in mystery and carries with
it a dubious kind of birdlike despair. This Owl must
have accompanied Dante through that dreadful doorway
over which was written the fatal words :

** Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”

Shades of Hades! How, O how did he ever get back
again to sing his woeful song by the light of the moon,
in our valleys of peace, and how are we ever to reconcile
with reason the statement that this is a wail of woe and
» zOve song into the bargain! That is indeed the mys-
tery of it.

ve Po a
| TN AO 1 o = |
U Ss | T 1 i
7 Sarak! Sarah! Woe..../ Woe.../

Great Horned The Great Horned Owl is the only large-

ots sized Owl with conspicuous ear-tufts,
virgintanus ence hissignificantname. He is, accord-

L.22inches ing to all records, ‘‘ the tiger among birds,”
Allthe year destructive to small birds, quail, and even
poultry, not to speak of reptiles, insects, small rodents,
and even rabbits. In color this Owl is a mottled brown
with varied tones of ochre and sepia, accented with
black; ear-tufts black with touches of ochre; face
around the large, topaz eyes, yellow ochre ; throat with
a wide white patch ; under parts buff-ochre narrowly
barred with black. Female similar, but larger. Nest,
in trees, probably that of a Crow, or Hawk, and not

~ 33

FAMILY Bubonide.

infrequently that of a gray squirrel. Egg, white. This
Owl is resident throughout its range, which extends
from Labrador southward through eastern North Amer-
ica. His preferred home is the forest.

Certainly this ‘‘ tiger ” bird can not be included among
the song birds, but as certainly we can not throw out
his hoot from musical calculation. Mr, Cheney writes:
‘One winter, after six weeks of cold, perhaps the sever-
est in fifteen years, the weather moderated, and the 3d
of March was a comparatively mild day. An Owl felt
the change, and in his gladness sent down ponderous
vesper notes from the mountain, which, as they came
booming across the valley, bore joy to all that heard
them. . . . The Owl did not change the weather,
the weather changed the Owl.” So much for sentiment
in the hoot of an Owl! The usual syllables of the hoots
are— Whoo, hoo-hoo, Whoo, hoo-hoo-hoo, and the effect
is like that of a bass whistle belonging to a Sound
steamer when it is heard at a distance, although the tone
is not so deep. There is a drop of at least a fourth to the

a
+ Whoo, hoo-hoos Whoo, foo- ree hoo?

two shorter last syllables. Mr. Cheney’s record is almost
identical with this; the difference is trifling, as he says:
‘* The first of these tones was preceded by a grace note,
the second was followed by a threadlike slide down a
fourth, and at the close of the third was a similar descent
of an octave. Neither slide, however, ended in a firm
tone.” This exactly describes the nature of the tones,
and it is unnecessary to say more, except that few writers
have given us any record of the scream of the creature.
ft *

Cotas”
yi j

"Fiend:

When that note comes one will think he hears the
‘crack o’ doom.” If the Screech Owl’s note is weird,

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.

this is horrible ; it has the sound of murder in it ; no cat
on a back-yard fence can produce a yell as hideous! Mr.
Chapman says this call ‘‘ is a loud piercing scream, one
of the most blood-curdling sounds I have ever heard in
the woods,” From a creature whose habit it is to be
out all night hunting, one must expect something grew-
some. Upon hearing the screech for the first time one’s
mind instinctively reverts to those lines in Scott’s Lady
of the Lake -

** At once there rose so wild a yell
Within that dark and narrow dell,
As all the fiends, from heaven that fell,
Had pealed the banner-cry of hell!”

Thus far, nobody has ventured to call this note the
Great Horned Owl’s love song!

ORDER COCCYGES. CUCKOOS, ETC.
Family Cuculide.

There are over one hundred and seventy known species
of Cuckoo in the New World, and these are mostly
tropical birds. Our two common Cuckoos, the Yellow-
billed and the Black-billed, differ from the Old World
Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in their laudable habit of
hatching their own eggs, and taking care of their young.
These are the only species in the United States.

Yellow-billed ©The Yellow-billed Cuckoo scarcely de-

> rl serves a position with the songsters, for
americanus 218 note is almost entirely without pitch.

L. 12.10 inches His near relative the Black-billed Cuckoo
May ioth is by far-the better singer ; nevertheless,
the Yellow-bill’s attempts at rhythm are not without
merit, for he can give us a ritardanto as perfect as that
of the Chat. The Cuckoos are slim, long-billed, dove-
like birds whose general tone of color is brownish lilac,
or dove-colored light brown with a slight touch of iri.
descent green above, and a grayish white beneath. The
sexes in both species of Cuckoo are alike in color. The

FAMILY Cuculide.

Yellow-bill is a trifle larger than the Black-bili, and is
distinguished readily by the presence of yellow on the
under mandible, though the rest of the bill is black like
that of the Black-bill. The tail feathers of this species,
too, are broadly white-tipped. The nest is the roughest
kind of an affair constructed of bits of sticks, twigs, and
grasses, and is generally lodged in the branches of a low
tree or among the bushes, The egg is a light, greenish
blue. The bird is distributed throughout the East, but
is less frequent (in the northern part of its range) than
the Black-bill.

There is very little to say about the Yellow-bill’s
music—perhaps the less said the better. Mr, Cheney
sums up the matter in these few words: ‘‘ The Yellow-
oreasted Chat exhibits the same rhythmic peculiarity in
his chattings, and so does the Woodpecker drumming on
a board or dry limb for the mere sound of it; but in
quality nothing can be compared with this slopping per-
formance, unless it be that of the loose-mouthed hound
lapping from a pan of milk.” It is evident that no one
can improve on that description. The song written out
should appear about like this, though one could never
promise that the tone was exactly A:

¢ Ritard, et dim. ..... ele. ete.

ER ES RL A LEE, 8 ix suit
—s 2 2}

J Gr.r-r-r-olp, cowlp, cowlp, owlp, olp, olp,

It begins with a series of gurgling sounds which rap-
idly merge into one another, and then runs down in a
slower and slower succession of syllables sounding like
coulp, cowlp, cowlp, cowlp, cowlp. It is a perfect
ritardando which could not be excelled by the Chat
himself who is an expert at that sort of thing.

The Yellow-bill is a solemn, silent-winged bird devoted
to the interests of the orchard; if there are plenty of
tent caterpillars he is happy and will do some execution
in a remarkably short space of time. Mr. Chapman
writes that in examining the contents of the stomach of
one of these birds he found “ the partially digested re-
mains of forty-three of these caterpillars.”

: SOOHIND Patiq-Moyjax pur parfiq-yovlg

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO,

Blaok-billed The Black-billed Cuckoo is distinctly a
soe more musical bird, although his song em-
tarophthatou braces but two well-defined tones only one
L. 11.75 inches Of which is commonly prominent. In
May 15th appearance he resembles the foregoing
species, with a few minor differences. Upper parts
brown-gray with a greenish iridescence ; the tail feath-
ers not black and only narrowly tipped with white;
under parts dull white; bill entirely black. The nest is
similar to that of the preceding species, but the egg is a
deeper tone of green-blue. This bird is also a wholesale
destroyer of the tent caterpillar ; he is distributed farther
north than the preceding species.

The most distinct feature of this Cuckoo’s song is the
rhythmic recurrence of the rest. This is a thing as
easily recognized by the unmusical as the musical lis-
tener. When one hears a series of rhythmically inter-
rupted monotones coming up from the meadow, there
can be no doubt about the singer, it is the Black-bill !
No other bird sings exactly that way. I can perfectly
demonstrate the principle by a series of dots to repre-
sent the notes, thus: .. «2 ec e+ ec ee But the
bird does not always stick to couplets, ... «seo ees
nor does he particularly favor triplets, .... esse coe
nor is he unmindful of the fact that even in music ‘* va-
riety is the very spice of life”... 2. eee ee eee cos
It is apparent, then, that however irregular the number
of the notes, the principle of rhythmic pause remains
irrefragable. So perfectly timed is this pause, that upon

da 108 Andante, —— Riter4. —_— =.
‘2. | | ea | “Tt et on te Ova

H
a IJ > ae A sé oad ees

Cou-c00, Cou-CO0, COUCUCO0, COU-COG, COU-~CU-CAQ, COU-CUC00,

setting the metronome to the song the bird will be
found singing with almost mechanicalaccuracy. There
is also another well-marked feature of the Cuckoo’ssong.
Listen attentively to the quality of a single tone and it
will at once become apparent that it is accompanied by
an undertone (properly an overtone) of a more or less

FAMILY Cuculide,

obscure interval of a third or fourth (as in above record}
Again, these tones are at times so distinctly separated
that they assume an individual independence, with the
intervals no longer obscure:

d s1t2 Ritard.
3 —§_ a | | eS
eee | a ee ee io eT at ot
7 a EES SE STATS! x
if f Ld _—_— ~~? i
¢ Cow-co, Cow-90, Cou-00,C0u-00, COu-00,CQU-00, COK-C00,

This is by no means the common song of the Black-
bill, but it certainly isnot rare, Here is variety again:

‘n72 > ee ff) fff)
Vz e ime 2 i ae |
i: a | a eX re a ee a a

()\Y DA ¥ a aA “ me ‘~
LS a
¢ Cucucoo-0g, CUucucoo-0g CU-C00-0Q ~CUCUCOO-OO.

the little musician is not content until he shall ring
all the possible changes of such vocal limitations! Mh.
Cheney is also an authority for the statement that this
bird is quite capable of singing his song in two well-
separated tones. He writes: ‘‘ Early one June morn-
ing, . . . abird was exercising his voice in a manner
that set me on the alert; it was the voice of a Cuckoo,
but not the Cuckoo’s song.

S:P-Cheney's record,
5 t in

~——s

uch. 00.

The instant I heard ‘Cuckoo’ . . . giving the in-
terval of a fourth, I experienced a thrill of satisfaction
such as no similar discovery had afforded. Other ears,
sharper than mine, had heard all, unknown to me;
and there was great rejoicing,—the Cuckoo was learning
to sing!” But Ihave long been of the opinion myself
that the Cuckoos, all of them, were birds whose voices
were set in two distinct tones ; in the case of the Ameri-
can species it has simply been a question of its ability
to separate or individualize those tones. The European
18

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO.

Cuckoo does that to perfection, and he has been cele-
brated most thoroughly by the musician, the poet, and
the Swiss manufacturer of clocks. Long years ago
(1832) an Englishman, William Gardiner, wrote : ‘‘The
plough-boy bids him welcome in the early morn, Borne
by fragrant gales, he leaves his distant home, for our —
sunny spots—the coppice and the mead. Children mark
his well-known song, crying

“ — Cuc-koo,

One of th> most beautiful poems in the English lan
guage is that by John Logan, To the Cuckoo, written
somewhere about 1775, and beginning :

‘** Hail, beauteous stranger of the grove!
Thou messenger of spring !
Now heaven repairs thy rural seat,
And woods thy welcome sing.”
And he does not forget the natural imitativeness of the
child, for he continues :
‘** The school-boy wandering through the wood
To pull the primrose gay,
Starts, the new voice of spring to hear,
And imitates thy lay.”
Nor does the greatest of all musicians, the immortal
Beethoven, fail to recognize the perfection of simplicity
in the Cuckoo’s song, for near the close of ‘‘ The scene
by the brook” in the Pastoral Symphony he introduces
the two familiar notes along with the trill of the Night-
ingale and the cali of the European Quail, thus:

ss oy Nightingale, tes mee’ ete,
® 4
DY a tj 2)
/ Quail—>fa $ . "
rs
zs !
'

Yin
A} '~£~4| oe = >.“ “4 “442
TA\’Y oOo A tT TiAl TTA
a ae’,
NJ

' FAMILY Cuculide.

But probably one of the best things that has ever been
written with the Cuckoo’s song for the theme is the
nursery melody by Joseph 8. Moorat, an English musi-
cian, which appears on the opposite page. Theodore
Marzials says of it: ‘‘ If you want a breath of fresh air
- straight from the heart of the hills, play over ‘ Cuckoo,
Cherry-tree’ . . . it ’s as good as an hour on the
moor-side.” But we have not yet gauged the popularity
of the Cuckoo, Go as far back as the time of Queen
Elizabeth, and he already appears an acknowledged
musician, for Shakespeare writes,

‘‘ The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plain-song cuckoo gray.”

The estimate of the great poet is close to the truth, for
the song, a drop of the minor third, is one of the com-

monest occurrences in old-time plain-song versicles and
responses, and was actually introduced by Marheke
into the closing sentences of the Lord’s Prayer.

When one pursues a study of the simple forms of
melody, it is indeed remarkable to note how exactly
similar these are to the songs-of the birds. In our
American Black-billed Cuckoo, we have not only a
musician capable of giving us an interval of a third or
fourth, like his English cousin, but one who appreciates
the value of measured silence such as that which char-
acterizes the opening bars of Beethoven’s Fifth Sym-
phony. We also possess a bird of more character too,
for the female builds her own nest and hatches her own
eggs, which is more than can be said of her foreign
relative |

Downy Woodpecker

CUCKOO! CHERRY~TREE.

- Joseph §.Moorat,

Moderato. | ‘ 2 of by FSM.
dO. a8 te-2
‘~ Z = M4 |™ ont ud —_
oe a a
/ ; |

‘i Cuck-oo!

a TH > 0) ans aa | |

ee | SE Bi QD LiL.
aan a (0 a a 1
tT | ' | > L

(A melody composed of practically but two tones.) 2
{—te¥I
7

’
t

a we

De@g a- rw ~
Te aad * © i mm *
Py ; na
* am AT a |
EM. . 7 ae i
cherry-tree, catch a bird & give it me: —
bh
? —T I a | .
) i | Tt i "g:
in, eres: ve dim.
ia ~ a: Pa aw =" fe P-
ra P ul Tepe tite
QZ wl] SCI i

|
| : Sw be | ‘ , oa -
” Lett etree be high orlow, Let it rain, hail orsnow.Cuck-oo!

Jn. iat
pe tp fig
| To =
SP La t | Li L fi
ms , |
p
Ft .
Qo. PS SS
“fae ? P
a eee
id id

(See page 20.)

DOWNY WOODPECKER.

ORDER PICI WOODPECKERS, ETC.
Family Picide.

The Woodpeckers are generally solitary birds, charac-
teristically busy at all hours of the day, and little given
to social intercourse with their fellows. The skull and
chisel-like bill of the little ‘‘ hammerer” are remarkably
strong, and wonderfully adapted to chip away bark, and
expose the retreats of bugs and grubs; also, an exceed-
ingly long, sharp tongue is peculiarly adapted to draw
out the hidden insect. The Woodpeckers are not singers,
but their bills are really the equivalent of drum-sticks
with which they rap out a rolling tattoo, a summons to
their lady-loves! The rigid, pointed tail feathers of the
birds assist them in maintaining a perpendicular position,
through pressure against the rough bark of the tree.

Downy This is the smallest and commonest
Woodpecker = Woodpecker we have, and it is resident
Dryobates ‘
pubescens throughout that range of country which
L. 6.75 inches extends from Florida to Labrador. Its
Allthe year marking is a pronounced symphony in
black and white accented by a red band; a broad stripe
of white runs down the centre of the back ; wings black
numerously spotted with white ; a scarlet band on the
nape of the neck; middle tail feathers black, but the
outer ones white barred with black ; two broadish white
stripes, one above, the other below the eye extending
backward. The Hairy Woodpecker is similarly marked,
but the outer tail feathers are white without bars, and it
is nearly half as long again from bill to tail. The nest
is usually in the hole of a dead limb; the egg is pure
white. The female is marked like the male, but the red
band is absent.

Both birds are indefatigable workers in the building of
the nest, but the female apparently loses a great deal
of time in critically examining the premises. She ex-
plores every nook and cranny as soon as the male bird
has chipped away a satisfactory round opening, and then
falls to with him at the grand act of excavation.

FAMILY Picide.

If there is already a hollow in the tree of small size it
_is enlarged to the required dimensions in a remarkably
short space of time, but still the housewife seems to
entertain some doubt about matters in general, and
wastes more time ‘“‘ poking around”! Wilson seems to
approve of this questionable vigilance and remarks as
follows: ‘‘ Before she begins to lay, the female passes in
and out, examines every part, both of the exterior and
interior, with great attention, as every prudent tenant
of a new house ought to do, and at length takes com-
plete possession.”

Such good carpenters as these deserve a better name,
but it is ever the case that mankind sums up the charac-
ter of the bird in a trivial manner and labels him flip-
pantly ! Indeed sometimes we are not above cracking
a joke on the label. It is in The Spenders, I believe,
that the farmer tells of his economical experiment in
feeding his setting hen on sawdust, and finishes with the
statement that of the thirteen eggs hatched out, twelve
produced chickens with wooden legs and the thirteenth
a woodpecker! Alas for the carpenter-bird, he is not
appreciated ; he carves his home in the heart of the
apple-tree, smooths its sides with the skill of a cabinet-
maker, taps at the door of every insect that lives in the
vicinity with a summons as inexorable as that of the
Great Destroyer, and drums a rolling tattoo on a resonant
limb or a telegraph pole in a master fashion that would
‘**beat the band.”

There is the musicianly part of his character; he is a
member of the drum corps who sounds a reveille for the
mere love of it, or, to speak .core exactly, ‘‘ all for the
love of the lady.” We should make no mistake about
this, he is signalling for his mate, and if we stand by
long enough it is possible we may see her. This summer
I listened to a rousing, rattling tattoo on a telephone
pole near my cottage that could have been heard fully a
quarter of a mile away, and after its second repetition, I
saw two Downies where a moment before there was but
one; so she had arrived! What few notes the Downy
has may be compared to the ring of a marble quarrier’s
chisel—to borrow an apt simile by Mr. Chapman. He

Flicker

FLICKER.

utters a metallic chink, chink, while he is at work, ora
quick succession of these syllables as he flies to another
tree. The notes of the Hairy Woodpecker are about the
same, but louder. Both birds in the rapid repetition of
their notes resemble the noisy Flicker. The Downy dif-
fers from Woodpeckers in general ; he is a sociable chap,
for I notice he is always around when a flock of Chicka-
dees and a Nuthatch or two are inspecting the old apple-
trees on the grounds. I generally look for the visits of
this self-appointed committee of investigation in early
autumn ; probably they are continued at irregular inter-
vals throughout the winter.

Flicker This is one of our largest as well as
Golden-winged noisiest Woodpeckers. When he begins to
Woodpecker : a °

Coleptes shout his monotonous information about
auratus the rain,* all other birds may as well re-
L. 12.00 inches main silent, for his clamor makes the
April ist welkin ring! Although his song is heard

not before early spring, he is one of the few plucky birds
which braves the severity of our northern winters and
stays with us the year around if the food supply seems
promising. His colors are varied : top of tle head gray ;
a scarlet band on the back of the neck; a patch of white
on the lower part of the back, and considerable yellow
showing beneath the tail and wings during flight ; back,
upper parts of wings and secondaries brown-gray barred
with black, the primaries and tail feathers black with
yellow shafts; throat and sides of the face pinkish
brown ; a broad black band extending backward from
the base of the bill, and a broad black crescent across
the breast ; lower parts dusky white marked with round
black spots. Female similar but without the black band
on cheeks. Nest in a deep hole probably of an apple-
tree, the entrance ten feet up, round, and not very
large; the bird may or may not have excavated: the
hole, he is likely to remodel or enlarge one caused
by decay. The egg is pure white. The bird’s range is

* Most writers render his song thus: “ Wet, wet, wet, wet, wet,
wet,”’ etc,

’

FAMILY Picide.

from the sea-coast to the eastern slope of the Rocky
Mountains and Alaska.

The Cuckoo knows the value of silence, the Flicker
does not. The former runs along rhythmically with his

song, thus» © dim By ee eee eee ee3 the latter
keeps straight on with the dlatterkiyg tongue of a terma-

gant, thus: re ig diver’. 6&0 Whine ea ie tare al eee
There is the same effect of a subordinate tone in the
Flicker’s song as there is in that of the Cuckoo, but how
absolutely different are the characters of the singers, and
how perfectly manifest in their songs! The Flicker is a
noisy, aggressive bird, who publishes his whereabouts
immediately upon his arrival with a clamor equal to that
of the hysterical hen announcing the new-laid egg! The
Cuckoo, on the contrary, is a retiring, quiet character
who falteringly and soothingly announces his return to
the “fold stand” with due apology to those who may
possibly disapprove. The Flicker sounds as if he were
whistling for the dogs to drive him off, the Cuckoo
sounds as if he were expostulating against such rude
treatment. The Flicker's voice resembles a monotonous
fortissimo performance on the oboe, the Cuckoo’s a
pianissimo response from the ocarina.*

It is not easy to determine the pitch of the Flicker’s
voice because of its peculiar timbre ; it certainly is nota
whistle, yet one can easily imitate it by whistling with
due regard for the grace note. The song written out
should appear thus:

=144 te
‘ n Vivace. cres...f dim. ete.
St SS SS ‘yb A A AA bh AA A
ys Pc io Te, aM, FANE AT MR EL Es BL dS OG GP he
a tl ~ t Pt Pe se

Out. Oe tai quit. ud

though I never could promise that the interval E toG
on the oboe would exactly imitate the voice of the next
Flicker that we happen to hear; their voices all differ.
In addition to this song the bird gives us an unmusical,
rasping

* A terra-cotta instrument with a hollow, rather sweet tone, not
unlike that of an organ pipe.

ee Ee

FLICKER.

ee-er!
that sounds like an ungreased cart wheel, and he also
beats a rolling tattoo like the others of his tribe.

He is a bird of character otherwise he would never
have accumulated so many labels. Mr. Chapman says that
there are thirty-six, but a few of the most familiar ones
will show the tendency of man to poke fun at him—
Wake-up, Yarrup, Piut, High-hole, Woodwall, Yellow-
hammer, Yucker, Flicker, Hittock, Clape, Harry Wicket,
- etc. He is a revelation of complex color when he is
surprised on the ground and rises, showing his under-
neath gold, and a joker in the fullest sense when one
catches sight of him bowing and scraping to the other
sex in a series of bobs up and down with tail and wings
stiffly outspread, uttering the while a significant, you-
see, you-see! Audubon testifies to the cheerful dispo-
sition of the bird, especially when in captivity, as
follows: ‘*The Golden-winged Woodpecker never suf-
fers its naturally lively spirits to droop. It feeds well,
and by way of amusement will continue to destroy as
much furniture in a day as can well be mended bya
different kind of workman in a week.” The food of this
Woodpecker, who visits the ground much oftener than
is the custom of his kind, is mostly grubs, ants, worms,
bird-cherries, and the fruit of the sour gum.

ORDER MACROCHIRES. GOATSUCKERS,
SWIFTS, ETC.
Family Caprimulgide,
NIGHTHAWKS, WHIP-POOR-WILLS, ETC.

This is a family of forest-inhabiting birds distinguished
by their method of perching lengthwise on a limb or
branch, and their habit of capturing their food while on
the wing; the expansive mouth and the surrounding
long, stiff bristles (characteristic of some species) are
especially adapted to catch insects. Some of the species
possess remarkable vocal powers.

FAMILY Caprimulgide,

Wnip-poor-will Mary Johnston in the opening sentences
et of To Have and to Hold makes this
L. 9:75 inches rather picturesque allusion to the Whip-
May 10th poor-will: ‘‘The birds that sing all day
have hushed, and the Horned Owls, the monster
frogs, and that strange and ominous fowl (if fowl
it be, and not, as some assert, a spirit damned)
which we English call the Whip-poor-will, are yet
silent.”

There is something uncanny about the nocturnal bird
and his strange song, particularly as he is always heard
and seldom seen. When he 7s seen it is too late in the
evening to get any idea of his colors. The white crescent
on the neck, and the white outer tail feathers, are all
that one can discern in the gathering dusk; the rest is a
mixture of spotty browns. Head finely mottled with
black and white; back ochre-buff finely marked with
black ; wings dark brown with ruddy bars; tail barred
with black and mottled with buff, but the end half of the
three outer feathers conspicuously white ; a white band
divides the throat and breast; lower parts cream-buff
irregularly marked with dark sepia. The base of the bill
is set with long, stiff, curving bristles, and the mouth is
extremely large although the bill appears very small.
The foot is a failure so far as use and appearances go,
the claws are tiny, and the long middle toe has a con-
spicuous comb on the claw, One never sees the bird
perched crosswise on anything ; whether it be a rock,
the wood-pile, a log, or a fence rail, the position is in-
variably the same—a squatting posture, the legs com-
pletely hidden, and the body parallel with any narrow
perch, such as a rail or a stick of wood! It is evident
the creature would be unable to balance itself the other
way. Asforits flight, thatis as silentas the night, there
is not the rustle of afeather. Itshares with the Owland
the Bat an absolutely noiseless wing. Egg, gray-white
marked with lilac and gray. There are usually two,
which are deposited on the leafy ground of woods or
thickets. The female is similarly marked with the male,
but cream buff displaces the white.

The song is weird, there is nothing like it in all the

TrtM-r00d-dry A

- WHIP-POOR-WILL.

category of Nature’s music ; it is a perfectly rhythmical,
metallic whistle which could be written out intelligibly
by a series of dashes, thus:

——— ~V~

4
Whippoorwill, Whp-poor-will Whip poor-will, Whip-poorwill, Whippoorwill,

But these do not carry with them any idea of pitch, and
so perfectly does the bird conform to pitch as well as
rhythm, that one has no difficulty whatever in fixing
the key or the position of any one of the three tones.
Here is an example of two distinct intervals of a fourth
and an octave; it is perhaps the commonest form of the
song ;

244 Vivaee, £), es #) ) ~ i
Zier vr? 4 7 area
Ro #7 i 2 F
“na te :

[s)

— 2 ¥
Whip-poor-will, Whippoorwill, Whip-poor-will, Whip-poor-will,

But no two birds sing exactly alike; listen and you will
hear a distant bird respond in a lower key, with a lesser
interval, and in slower time; the form is fairly common;

f =126 Moderato. sa

Lr
° fe fi He—l ite
. =)
ale | ~_| @ le i

5
7
y
&
—
.
\

Then another individual very near at hand will consider
this entirely too slow, and start in vigorously and viva-
ciously, thus ;

FAMILY Caprimulgide.

4 = 160 Agitate.

TW i ts 1335/4 :
a CS

That seems to be altogether too flippant a measure for
the next soloist so he corrects the time and the key ac-
cording to his own ideas :

d = 120 Moderato,

ee ee ee
b.. : 31 > | > : Ar
ff) — 2 } | Ae FCS } rc) + PG) a” a
/
Nog. ™P
ai Ss seo A
Lae ' t ' 1 ‘ t

Observe that he has confined his song to an interval of
only a second, and is proceeding in a very leisurely

manner, when he is interrupted by some one else who |

attempts a compromise between extremes on an entirely
different key ;

3-189 Allegro.

At —T, Wi iv 2 rae

no5

Le Es ese fe
ere aete estes

vp 4

Apparently this variety in the manner of chastising
**poor Will” has exhausted the patience of bird number

WHIP-POOR-WILL.

zix and he breaks in on both the others with an emphatic
and vociferous insistence on the original key, F, but even
he must impress his own personality on the song. so he
proceeds in F minor!

3-144 Ge Go hae a> >

| p> ai st ett

fry t iat ae ree es T a 7 | oot
4 f } }
Y )

Noe : e 2 : . .
* . * * i
-4 : i > }
nL T — | : | |
YD T u ? t

The pitch of all these songs is. one octave higher than the records.

_ It thus happens that we have been listening to half a
dozen Whip-poor-wills, whose songs progressively range
through the keys, F, D flat, G, E flat, A flat, and F
minor!* I confess that I have picked out from my col-
lection of Whip-poor-will annotations these six songs in
correlated keys for the purpose of showing the generally
harmonious relationship of bird music. It would indeed
be a rare occasion if the six occurred in the regular suc-
cession given above, but there is every chance in the
world that we will hear something very similar to this
the next time we listen to a number of Whip-poor-wills
singing together. That depends upon our ‘‘ear for
music.” This bird is Nature’s virtuoso in the perform-
ance of the Nocturne, and it requires but little study to
discover the fact that few if any of the renderings are
exactly similar. An attentive ear at close range will
detect a sound like cuh coming from the bird’s throat
between each of the whip-poor-wills, but one must be
very near to catch it. Evidently it is caused by sucking
in the breath and shutting and opening the bill prepara-
tory to the next whistles. One will also notice a
very perceptible quaver on the syllable poor,+ so I have
properly indicated that by a grace note in the last song.

*This is no ordinary progression ; the six songs played on the
piano in the order given above show at”* once a harmonious
relationship,

+ Mr. Cheney’s division of this syllable into two equal parts (two
sixteenth notes) does not seem to me correct, even though he

FAMILY Caprimulgide,

wilson had a fair idea of the responsive character of
the Whip-poor-will’s singing, but of course he had no
conception of the musical relationship of the keys in
which the bird sang; he writes, ‘‘ when two or more
‘males meet, their whip-poor-will altercations become
much more rapid and incessant, as if each were strain-
ing to overpower or silence the other. When near you
often hear an introductory cluck between the notes. At
these times they fly low, not more than a few feet from
the ground, skimming about the house and before the
door, alighting on the wood-pile, or settling on the roof.”

The bird sings during the early hours of the evening,
or all night if it is a moon-lit one, and the springtime.
He does his hunting along water-courses and on the
borders of the woods, his large mouth enabling him
to readily catch insects as he flies. By imitating the
song I have often lured one to such close quarters that
the wings have almost brushed my hat. It is certainly
a very common bird throughout the Pemigewasset
. Valley.

Nighthawk The Nighthawk is a very near relative
Chordeiles of the Whip-poor-will, and singularly
virginianus . a 4

L. 10.00 inches C2Ough is often mistaken for it. But the
May 20th characters and markings of the birds are
distinctly different. The tone of the Nighthawk’s
color is a blackish sepia brown. Upper parts black,
thickly marked with white and buff; wings and tail
sepia ; the middle of the larger wing feathers marked
with a white spot, the spots forming collectively
a conspicuous white wing-bar. Tail feathers marked
with buff on a sepia ground, and all but the middle ones
white-banded near the end; throat with a broad white
band; under parts barred with black and white often
tinged with buff. The female is similarly marked, but
lacks the white on tail and throat, the latter is ochre-
buff. Egg gray-white profusely speckled with gray-
makes two tones of it, separated by an interval of a third, One
can not produce this effect by imitating the Whip-poor-will’s song
strictly a tempo; it is impossible to do anything else than bounce on
that middle syllable,

qm ETI SIN

NIGHTHAWK.

brown ; it is laid on the ground, and there are not likely
to be more than two; these are deposited in a stony
field, or even on bare rock. There is no pretense at nest-
building.

The Nighthawk has no song ; but that one bass note
which he produces with his wings proclaims him the bass
trumpet player of Nature’s orchestra. He is a sky+
scraper and an erratic wanderer on the wing. Heseems
to go no way in particular, and to have no place in par-
ticular for which he shapes his course; it is a decidedly
** g0-as-you-please ” performance with an obligato rasp-
ing, double-toned accompaniment of geeps, and it will
presently end as if he had been shot. Down he drops
vertically eighty feet or more, then suddenly recovers
himself, and you hear a subdued boom like that of the
bass trumpet in the brass band!

f ——_

ry_ ——
) OF” a aa
RE e
u U

Boo -00- mi

It is he, and not, as you may at first suppose, ‘‘ the bull-
frog in the pool.” The remarkable tone is produced by
the rush of air through the bird’s primaries! Wilson
makes a mistake about the cause of the noise which is a
bit amusing; he says, ‘‘ he suddenly precipitates him-
self head foremost and with great rapidity down sixty
or eighty feet, wheeling up again as suddenly, at which
instant is heard a loud booming sound very much re-
sembling that produced by blowing strongly into the
bunghole of an empty hogshead, and which is doubtless
produced by the sudden expansion of his capacious mouth
while he passes through the air.” Alas! alas! had Wil-
son only understood the principles of diaphonics, he
would have known that the mouth of the bird must
necessarily expand to the size of the “‘ empty hogshead”
to support his theory !

FAMILY Micropodide.

Family Micropodide. Swirts.

Of seventy-five known species of Swifts only four are
found in North America. They feed on the wing exclu-
sively, and the similarity of their habits to those of
Swallows has given rise to some confusion between the
two families.

Chimney Swift The Chimney Swift is not a Swallow,
—— although he has been confused with the
ris iy 40 inches latter species so long and so thoroughly
May isth that he is better known by the name
Chimney Swallow.* But the two types of birds are
structurally very different, however similar general
appearances and feeding habits seem to be. In color
this little Swift is a delightful smoky black graded to
a dull gray on the throat; he may be readily iden-
tified by the elongated shafts or spiked tips of the
tail feathers which he uses as a fan-shaped brace when
he clings to the chimney wall, and by the deeply set eye
and overhanging eyebrow. The slender wings, with
their long primaries and powerful muscles, the broad
chest, and the small body, all enable him to prolong his
flight for an almost indefinite length of time. The
wings are used rapidly and not at all with the steady
measured strokes common to some of the Swallows.
The nest is a peculiar hollowed bracket, built of dried
twigs well.cemented together with the gluey saliva of
the bird, and fastened to the rough wall of the chimney
somewhere from five to ten feet from the top. This re-
markable structure is anything but secure, and when
the lusty young birds become restless it has an extremely
awkward way of dumping the whole family down in
the fireplace ; then the rasping, ear-splitting chirps of
the youngsters are only comparable to the filing of a
saw—yes, twenty saws! There are usually from four to
six pure white eggs in a nest, and presumably most
farmers’ wives wish they would never hatch out. The
bird is common throughout eastern North America.

* He was called so by Alexander Wilson,
32

et |

Bae ee

symag Asum1iys

=i)
Say

CHIMNEY SWIFT.

Of course the Chimney Swift has no song, but he has
« very tolerable idea of keeping time with his fellows in
a series of penetrating, rhythmic chirps (away up on the
highest C of the piano) during an ‘‘all hands around”
game of ‘‘tag” in ever narrowing circles about some
neglected chimney of the old farmhouse. I will not say
that the birds adhere to the metre in the following
verses (!), but they come extremely near it, and, barring
afew breaks, devote themselves entirely to the joys of
alternating and consonant sound like that which charms
our ears when two boilermakers fall to hammering on
the rivets !

Chip chip chip chip, chip chip chip chip,
Per-ché per-ché per-ché per-ché, per-ché per-ché per-
ché,
Chippy chippy chippy chippy, chippy chippy chippy

chippy,
Chip chip chip chip, chip chip chip !

The Swifts feed entirely while on the wing, and one
seldom sees a bird perch anywhere except on or about
the chimney. Naturally, therefore, one wonders what
they did before the chimney “arrived” in America.
The answer issimple enough. The case is one of adapta-
tion to newer conditions; the Swift prefers the chimney
to the hollow in the rotten tree, and that is partly
because, nowadays, the hollow in the tree is not as com-
mon as the chimney. Mr. Chapman says the structural
relations of the Chimney Swift ‘“‘ are with the Hum-
mingbirds and not with the Passerine Swallows.” Per-
haps that is the reason why there is such a loud hum to
their wings within the chimney !

Family Trochilide. HUMMINGBIRDS.

Hummingbirds belong exclusively in the New World.
South America is their paradise, and the regions of the
Andes are their favorite resort. Of some five hundred
species which are now known, but seventeen are found
in the United States, and only one species occurs east of

FAMILY Trochilide.

the Mississippi. This is our own little Ruby-throat, and
he is comparatively small beside the largest and most
magnificent species recently discovered in Arizona,
named Eugenes fulgens. This splendid ‘‘hummer” is
about six inches long! The smaller species fly so swiftly
that their wings are lostin a ‘‘ humming ” mist encircling
the little body ; but the wings of the larger species move
with sufficient moderation for the eye to detect the
beats. The remarkable gorget (the name of the Hum-
mingbird’s ruby collar) is, under a magnifying glass, a
resplendent blaze of color.

Ruby-throated This is the only Hummingbird of east-

Hummingbird orn North America. His range is from
Trochilus

ecletiets Labrador to Florida, So charming a little
L. 3.70 inches Creature, devoid of music, needs none of
May t5th it, because he is a veritable symphony in

color, a harmony of metallic greens and browns and
ruby-red. The upper parts are shining green modified
by brownish shadows; wings and tail brown with
purplish side-lights; throat a lustrous ruby-red mar-
gined with white-gray at the breast; under parts
dusky gray. The male in autumn almost lacks the
ruby-red ; in the female it is altogether wanting, and
the tail has a more rounded contour. Nest, a curious
little structure built of plant down and fibres, covered
on the outside with lichens which closely match in
colors the limb on which it is fastened. It has, in fact,
all the appearance of a knot belonging to the branch.
The two pure white eggs are about half an inch long.
The mother-bird feeds her young by the process of regur-
gitation ; the food is largely made up of tiny insects.
The only note which the Hummingbird possesses is a
tiny squeak without definite tone. He utters the sound
frequently while he is at work probing the flowers in the
garden, as though he were afraid of capture, It is
plainly a note of caution, meaning, possibly, ‘* Look out
now ; don’t attempt to catch me by the tail while my
head is buried in this morning-glory!” The bird is so
remarkably fearless, though, that I doubt very much
34

Humming Bird

F
t
f
}
j

KINGBIRD.

whether he utters his note for any other reason than to
‘*keep himself company.” He will frequently feed from
a bunch of flowers held in the hand, and occasionally
flies in the house in search of sweets. The reason he
holds an apparently secure position among a host of
birds whose size and strength are more than tenfold as
great as his own, is because he is so absolutely fearless
and pugnacious. He is a great fighter, and holds his
own by the point of his bill. Ralph Hoffmann, in Bird
Portraits, says: ‘‘ Though the birds are very irritable
and pugnacious when wild, frequently attacking each
other with shrill squeaks, yet in captivity they prove
very gentle and almost affectionate.”

ORDER PASSERES. PERCHING BIRDS.
Family Tyrannide. FLYCATCHERS.

The Flycatchurs are distinguished for their habit of
catching insects on the wing; they leave their perch

and snap up the passing insect with unerring aim. All

are poor song birds except the Wood Pewee, who has
exceptional ability in tone,expression. There are over
thirty species in the United States, and less than a third
of these are common in our part of the country.

Kingbird The Kingbird is another pugnacious
zaps character. Apparently he spends most of
tyrannus . a = z : - ee

L. 8.50 inches is time in chasing insects or in driving
May 15th other birds off his territory. He has a
good deal of style for a rather plain bird, which is
evidenced in his crested black head and beautifully
toned gray-white breast, as well as his dignified if not
defiant, straight carriage. The upper parts are slate
gray; smoky black on head and shoulders; tail black,
tip margined- white, a conspicuous mark for identifi-
cation; an orange-red crown-patch is hidden by the dark
feathers of the head except when the whole crest is erect;
under parts dull white tinged with gray on the breast.
Female similar. Nest, compact and circular, woven of
grass, moss, weed-stalks, and rootlets, lined with plant-
down and similar soft material. It is generally situated

FAMILY Tyrannide.

at the fork of a branch and near its extremity, from fif-
teen to twenty-five feet above ground, Egg, white with
sepia brown specks. The range of the bird is pretty
nearly throughout North America, from New Bruns-
wick and Manitoba southward.

The Kingbird has no song, but he has some conver-
sational ability of a limited though stridulous character.
It is not difficult to place the tone of his voice on the
musical staff, although there is not a bit of music in that
tone. His remarks as he stands on some high perch
commanding a wide outlook are a trifle monotonous:
Ker-rip, ker-rip, quirp, each with a rising inflection,
and then Ker-r-r-r, ker-r-r-r, ker-r-r-r, in a decidedly
burred or double-tone note, which may be imitated by
humming and whistling simultaneously. The music
should appear about like the following, though it should
‘be remembered a single tone with a shifting pitch, and
that, too, not a musical tone, is all one hears:

Twice 8va nme ae DAN NN
nan Pe 3
i $ ly L
£40) — iF a

Ker-rip, ker-rip, quirp, kerrr kerrr kerrr!

An old apple-tree is a favorite resort of the Kingbird,
and. in this the nest is frequently built within plain sight.
The male bird stands guard over the premises, and woe
to the individual who wings his flight that way; it
usually means a chase to the bitter end. I have fre-
quently seen the Kingbird chase a Crow for a quarter of
a mile, because the latter dared to fly within the limits of
the orchard. He is, indeed, as his name would imply,
the Tyrant Flycatcher, though he is not a tyrannical
husband; for it is as plain as day he treats his mate with
the utmost consideration, guarding the nest with assidu-
ous care while she is away in search of food. I have
never seen him assist in building a nest, or in the domes-
tic cares involved with the brooding period, but he is
afterward very attentive in feeding the young. Olive
Thorne Miller writes: ‘‘ While his mate is sitting—and
possibly at other times—he indulges in a soft and very

«is

PHBE.

pleasing song, which I have heard only in the very early
morning.” But my own experience is contrary to that.
I have never heard such a song, but rather have noticed
that the birds were particularly aggressive and saucy in
the morning, as though they had waked up in a bad
humor and wanted to rout everyone else out. The notes
about six A.M. may be rightly interpreted thus: Wake-
up, wake-up, lazy, cur, cur-r-r-r, cur-r-r-r!

The Kingbird catches his food on the wing. Watch
him carefully as he sits on his commanding perch and
you will see he takes short excursions in mid-air after
some insect which has ventured too near. Notice him
again if a Hawk should pass a hundred feet overhead,
and you will see him dart upward after the eneiny, dash
recklessly at him with threatening bill, and in other
ways make the big bird’s life burdensome as he flies for
a distance of half a mile more or less.

Phebe Pheebe is one of, those peaceful, confid-
Sayornss ing characters, which appropriates one
i Goo inches COTner of the roof of the wash-shed or the
April ist side porch without so much as saying ‘‘ by
your leave.” The consequences are not such as a
good housekeeper would approve; for Phoebe transports
a considerable amount of mud from the borders of
the neighboring stream with which to build her nest,
and then after it is built she fails to keep it clean;
if usually swarms with innumerable parasites. Both
male and female birds are marked alike. Upper parts
sooty brown with a greenish cast; crown dark or sepia
brown; wings and tail also distinctly darker; outer half
of outer tail feather dull white; under parts dull white
with a yellowish tone; bill black. Nest, mostly a com-
position of mosses and mud, lined with grass and long
hairs, bulky, and lodged at some roof or bridge (under-

neath) corner on a rafter. Egg white, sometimes with ,

a few cinnamon brown specks. The bird is common
throughout eastern North America, from Newfoundland
southward.

Pheebe sits on the piazza rail or the rustic gate and con-
tentedly sings his monotonous refrain, Phoebe ve-bliebt !

FAMILY Tyrannide.

Pheebe ve-bliebt !* the second utterance, with its chopped-
off syllable, sounding like a bit of mongrelGerman! The
whole song is exactly what Mr. Chapman says it is—‘‘ a
hopelessly tuneless performance.” Then he adds a touch
of sentiment, and says further: ‘‘ but who that has heard
it in early spring when the ‘ pussy-willow’ seems almost
to purr with soft blossoms, will not affirm that Phoebe
touches chords dumb to more ambitious songsters!” It
is almost useless to place this ‘‘tuneless” song on the
musical staff, yet the positions of the notes will aid one
to recognize the inflections of the voice; here is the song:

Phe-be, ve-bliebt Phe-be, ve-bliebt,

The tones are all burred, and all slurred, so the syllables
are all lost in ‘‘swishing” whistles. Perhaps, also, the
tracing of these lines with a pencil may help one to catch
the rhythm:

es.
oF. cres eres eres

Phce — be, ve - biiebtt Phae— be, ve-bdbliebts

Wood Pewee Among all the singers of the woodland
Contopus virens at . :
L.6.s0inches the Wood. Pewee is the sentimentalist.
May isth His short song of threé or four notes
appeals to us wholly by reason of its apparently emo-
tional nature. It is to be classed along with Stephen
Foster’s Old Folks at Home, or the famous old Irish
melody, The Last Rose of Summer. The little fel-
low sings along with the Hermit Thrush, in the region
of the White Mountains, but how absolutely different is
the burden of his song! There isa touch of sadness to
the few notes of the Wood Pewee, there are joy and glad-
ness in the soaring lyric of the Hermit Thrush. Nor is
this little woodland Flycatcher attractive in appearance;
he is the plainest of birds, as well as the plainest of

*My friend, Professor Patton of Dartmouth College, called my
attention to a similar construction of the song.

Chebec Wood Pewee
(above) (below)

WOOD PEWEE.

singers. Upper parts smoky olive; wings and tail sepia
brown; shoulder feathers of the wings tipped with dull
white, forming two more or less distinct wing-bars ;
under parts white faintly tinged with yellow and graded
to light olive gray on the breast and sides; upper mandi-
ble black, the lower light horn-color. The sexes are
alike. Nest substantially built of fine grasses woven
with plant fibre and moss, the outside covered with lich-
ens; it is usually on a horizontal limb fifteen to forty
feet from the ground. Egg white and marked with a
circle of brown specks about the larger end.

Mr. Chapman says, after complimenting the singer:
_-** All day long the Pewee sings, even when the heat of
summer silences more vigorous birds and the midday
sun sends light-shafts to the ferns, the clear, sympathetic
notes of the retired songster come from the green canopy
overhead, in perfect harmony with the peace and still-
ness of the hour.” There it is, as plain as can be—pure.
sentiment! Mr. Chapman strikes the keynote of the
Pewee’s song; whether at ‘“‘matins” or ‘‘ vespers” it is
always the same, slow, peaceful, restful, and thoroughly
musical. There is none of the nervous haste of the
Robin, none of the clatter of the Flicker, and all of the
sweetness of the Peabody-bird. Pee-a-wee he sings, and
then after an wnreasonably long pause, he adds, peer!
It is difficult to imagine how anyone with a good ear for
sound (I will not say music) can possibly miss the char-
acter of the song, for the very simple reason that it is so
obviously easy to catch it. Whistle w-h-i-e-u with the
familiar run down the musical scale, just as though
some one stepped on your toe, or you were greatly sur-
prised or shocked, and if that is done in the laziest pos-
sible manner, the Pewee’s peer is accurately imitated!

Twice 8va........
a=
1 A wa S
/ + .
“ Pe--e-7'/

It is no presto performance, it must be decidedly largo,
and when the lowest tone of the scale is reached it must

FAMILY Tyrannidea.

be sustained for at least a second. Then, for the better
part of the bird’s song, his pee-a-wee, all that is required
is to whistle in a very slow, dragging fashion, first a
clear high note, then one exactly a fourth below that,
and finally one a minor third above the one last men-
tioned. That is literally all there is to the song; the
variations are too unimportant to mention. Dots and
dashes will fairly represent the idea,

a
Pee.a-wee. Peer! Pee.a-wee, Poer! Pee.a-wee
but it seems as though the very plain position of the

notes on the musical staff ought to be intelligible to all
persons whether music readers or not.

Twice 8v2 ws --08C = Sempre Tegato
o™

jee fy EO A ~ oe
aC) a | hs y foe Y7
: nm . I
A | ' {2
+ or 3 | ins iT ~S 4
Pee-a - wee Pe-e-rf Pee-a-wee

The grace note attached to the note representing the first

syllable is an extremely important one; a sharp ear will
readily detect an ascending tone to pee, and in some
cases it will be discovered that the little introductory
tone is almost independent of the next one and justly
deserves to be counted the first of four tones in the
song.* It is impossible, also, for me to put too much
stress on what a musician would call its legato char-
acter; there is no bird which compares with the Wood
Pewee in sheer laziness of style ; he does not attempt to
**hit” a note squarely, he reaches for it with all the
sentimentality (but none of the vulgarity) of the inex-
perienced and uncultivated singer, capturing us in spite
of his error by the perfect sweetness of his voice. How
inimitably dignified and graceful is his rendering of that
familiar but rather flippant aria in Auber’s Fra Diavolo:

*This more complete form of the Pewee’s song belongs to the
nuptial season.

WOOD PEWEE.

o > 4 a , wm! ‘ os > . , EI _" te.
ro “miu
tz rt, /

ms itt H Bit — pt
. These three notes Lat - ‘

Fra Diavolo. exactly form the

Wood Pewee song.
al
laWs'E
Jen! i ve

He does not fancy this juggling with so good a motive,
he takes it more seriously, and sings with feeling:

ff - + -—- es — | meet
y FE be f SF iE See 23 Ch ol We] sD
~ Se eter ioe a er Be
APA pot TE J J “t
wf

There is an ineffable grace, almost a religious solemnity
to the little melody when it is sung that way! Mr
Henry Oldes calls attention to this character of the
Wood Pewee’s song, and so do many well-known writ-
ers; but Mr. Cheney does best of all, for he makes a
hymn of the plaintive call, which I have taken the lib-
erty of harmonizing, thus:

This is the Pe-e-r7 qs, swingingnote

is often sungalone
2 emda | a = Pht Pate
Dh * 4 et
bh Y PY v at Ve

SP
S
>
«

“Te

4
y
£
2.
:

{
A ~ a Pic ww:
iS eee
0° A a U ) | { ¢
) a? . f j r >

Then Mr. Cheney significantly adds: ‘‘ You see how
much there is in that little, and how much of interest
can be said that has never been said.” A propos of the
serious nature of the song, Dr. Elliot Cowes writes:
‘*‘ Wherever it may fix its home, whether in the seclusion
of sylvan retreats or in the vicinity of man’s abode, its

FAMILY Tyrannide.

presence is soon made known by its oft-repeated melan-
choly notes seeming to speak some settled sorrow that
time can never heal. The sighing of the pines is not
more expressive of mournful fancies than the sobbing of
the little sombre-colored bird, flitting apparently incon-
solable through their shades.” That is carrying things
to extremes, I should say, and smacks not a little of
maudlin sentiment. However, every one to his own
mind, and if one feels that way about a bird singing in
largo time, the interpretation is presumably correct, for
at most the music is a song without words. A bright
little poem from the pen of J. T. Trowbridge gives us
an entirely different impression of the bird’s character,
so there is no doubt but that pure sentiment is at the
bottom of the whole matter.

The Wood Pewee is a common resident of the orchard,
and often of the elm or maple that shades the village
street; in spring and early summer he spends most of the
time in the woods, but when the young have flown he
returns to ‘‘town” or at least to some highway that
leads to it. Like all others of his tribe he is famous for
his dexterity in catching insects on the wing.

Chebec. Least The little Chebec has none of the music
Flycatcher = of the Wood Pewee. His is a toneless call
Empidonax » tutte ae
walndadkis of two short syllables which is the origin of
L.5.40inches his common name. In appearance, too,
May ist he is very ordinary. Upper parts olive
brown; wings and tail sepia brown, the wing coverts
tipped with buffish drab forming two distinct wing-
bars on each wing; under parts dull white, grayish
on the breast, and generally yellowish below; the
lower mandible brown. Male and female are marked
alike. This is the smallest of the Flycatchers. Nest, of
rootlets, plant-fibre, and plant-down interwoven with
long hairs, usually lodged in a Y branch six to fifteen
feet above ground. Egg pure white. The bird is com-
mon through the Eastern States, but breeds only from
Pennsylvania northward to Quebec.

There is no bird more easily identified than the Least
Flycatcher. His call note is unique; it is a perfectly

BLUE JAY.

self-evident chebec, squeaky, stridulent, and rapid, with
a ‘“‘g” tone. Pronounce the word Egypt (in a stage
whisper) as rapidly as possible, but be sure to drop the
final ‘*t” and you have the call note.*

~ Four times 8va. or higher than youcangoP

1 : : eee

égyp- Fgyp- LEgyp-

Only once in a while the little bird enlarges his song-
motive, and then it is while he is on the wing under the
influence of some unusual excitement one hears, Egyp,
Egyp, tremble-emble! Egyp, tremble-embie! Whether
that means a fateful warning of invasion to the ancient
country or not, it is difficult to say. At any rate it is
the bird’s love song, no matter what words we set to the
music, and of the latter,—well, there is none, so com-
ment is unnecessary.

The little fellow is also easily identified by his droop-
ing, bobbing tail which jerks with every Egyp he utters
He is fond of the orchard and the shade trees, ano
thence rather than from the borders of the woods comes
his familiar voice,

Family Corvide. JAYS, CROWS, ETC.

This is a family of very intelligent birds, of large size
somewhat predatory habits, and omnivorous tastes
Most of the birds are resident throughout the year
They possess some vocal ability, but are generally con-
sidered unmusical.

Blue Jay This splendid fellow is the rascal of the
Seanocitte bird community, the bully and tease of
cristata F a
L. 11.60 inches 2 creatures smaller than himself, and, so
Allthe year far as actions are concerned, ‘‘ the clowp
of the circus.” So familiar a character as the Blue
Jay needs no description, yet his markings are unique

*It has also been written cadet and sewick, but neither of these
is very representative.

‘FAMILY Corvide.

and deserve ‘‘special mention.” His blue is of the
ultramarine order diluted with white; that color
distinguishes his upper parts; crest conspicuous and
a deeper blue; a black band crosses the breast and
continues upward on the sides of the neck joining on
the back of the head ; under parts subdued, gray-white,
whiter on the throat above the black band; forehead
black ; wings and tail beautifully barred with black and
white, the intermediate light ultramarine blue grading
to a cold steely tone; tail feathers broadly tipped with
white—all except the middle pair. Female similarly
marked. Nest, of rootlets and twigs compactly inter-
woven, the finer ones serving as a lining ; the latter is
never composed of soft material. Egg, pale olive brown,
or pale olive green, plentifully sprinkled with cinnamon
brown.

The Blue Jay is also a robber. He not infrequently
attacks other birds engaged in nest-building, drives
them off, and finishes the job to his own liking. The
following lines, taken from the Chicago Tribune, con-
tain more truth than poetry :

‘* With twigs and strings and other things
The Robin builded it strong,
And as he plaited them into shape
He carolled a cheerful song.

‘*¢ Why so busy?’ the Jay Bird asked.
‘ What are you doing, pray ?’
‘I suppose,’ said the Robin, ‘I’m building a nest
For you—you blooming Jay !’”

The advent of a horde of Blue Jays, about the middle
of July, in the vicinity of my studio in Campton, means
a general dispersion of all the song birds for the time
being. There is at once a rumpus in the old orchard,
and a continual flash of blue wings in the sunlight;
many little brown wings, too, take flight to return no
more. A squalling, cat-like

J- J-
aa- aa-
y y
44

Blue Jay

BLUE JAY.

fills the air, and occasionally a clear, bell-like, three-
syllabled note catches the ear, which is very musical,
and sounds like this :

Be ee
SE Sage Viale, aa

y ¥

/ Ge-rul-lup, ge- rul-lup}
Again, a perfectly clear whistled but metallic-toned
octave strikes the ear, thus:
Gv4....:.

‘2

}

“ — Heigh- hol

“On the whole, in spite of the confusion, and the harsh,
ringing jay, jay tones, which remind us of the bagpipe
whistle of the children’s toy balloon, there is a decidedly
musical element in the Blue Jay’s voice. He gives usa
perfect octave, and, perfect or imperfect, that is a great
deal more than the Bluebird can do. He is at oncea
ventriloquist and a mimic, for he will readily copy any
tone he hears which tickles his fancy, whether it be a
squeaking cart wheel or the note of a thrush ; but he at-
tempts nothing which we could call a song.

Ralph Hoffmann gives us an excellent sketch of the
Blue Jay’s character in his Bird Portraits: ‘The Jay
in spring is undoubtedly a reprobate. He cannot resist
the temptation to sneak through the trees and bushes,
and when he finds a nest of eggs temporarily left by its
owner, to thrust his sharp bill through the shells; even
young birds are devoured. In the autumn, however, he
is a hearty, open fellow, noisy, and intent on acorns and
chestnuts. The woods ring with his loud screams as
he travels through them with his companions. It is
amusing at this season to observe them obtaining chest-
nuts, a favorite food. They drive their powerful bills
into a nut, wrench it out of the burr, and then fly off
with it to a convenient limb and hammer it open.”

FAMILY Corvide.

Canada Jay Wilson says of this bird: ‘‘ Were I to
Whisky Jack dont the theoretical reasoning of a cele-
Perisoreus

FUE PO brated French naturalist, I might pro-
L. 12.00 inches nounce this bird a debased descendant
Allthe year from the common Blue Jay of the United
States.” But he probably knew, if he did that, his
powers of discrimination would be open to criticism.
There is scarcely & mark of similarity between the
two species, except as they are ornithologically con-
sidered. The Canada Jay is costumed in Quaker-
gray, dull-white, and black. Back of the head sooty
black; back gray; throat and sides of the neck dull
white; forehead white; wings and tail gray, with
many of the feathers white-tipped; under parts warm
gray. Female similar. The plumage is thick and un-
kempt-looking, resembling, in a measure, that of the
Chickadee. Nest of coarse twigs and bark-fibre, gen-
erally lodged well up in a spruce or some other conifer-

ous tree. Egg white, irregularly speckled with madder —

brown. The bird is decidedly boreal, and is found only
from northern New England and New York to northern
Minnesota, which are the southern limits of its range.
The notes of the Canada Jay are very similar to those
of the Blue Jay; most of them are harsh or discordant,
and many have a peculiar wailing character which dis-
tinctly separates them from the rather sprightly tones
of the handsomer cousin. My only experience with
these birds has been on the summits of the White Moun-
tains, where they are far from uncommon, They are
naturally the inhabitants of the great coniferous forests
of the North, and are frequent visitors of the lumber
camps, where by their sociable habits and fearlessness
they become very friendly with the lumbermen, often
feeding from their hands. On the summit of Mt. Os-
ceola, in Waterville, N. H., on more than one occasion
the Canada Jay has taken pieces of bread from my fin-
gers. I have never taken any memoranda of his notes,
as they were too unmusical to deserve attention; be-
sides, he is a bird easily identified by his environment.

Canada Jay

CROW.

Crow This familiar American character has
eerorts become a standard by which we calculate
En: piytsacr bo many conditions, such as ‘‘as black as a
Allthe year crow,” “‘as the crow flies,” ‘‘as sharp as
a crow,” etc. No description of the bird’s appearance
is really necessary, but it may as well be said at
once, that in the fullest sense of the word he is not
black! The entire plumage is characterized by an
iridescent steel-blue or violet. This is particularly no-
ticeable on the neck, shoulders, wings, and tail. The
feathers of the under parts are less metallic and lustrous
than those of the upper parts. The nest is a clumsy
affair, built of twigs, sticks, bark, grass, etc.; it is gen-
erally in the crotch of a bough fully thirty feet above
ground. Egga beautiful dull green-blue thickly speckled
with brown; sometimes it is blue-white, or pale blue
with sparse markings. The bird is distributed from the
northern United States south to Florida, where it is re p-
resented by the Florida Crow.

There is no music in the Crow’s caw nor any in the
rest of his various calls, but he is a bird with a distinct
language, which one may study with profitable results.
His harsh mutterings are just desultory talk, his
er-r-r-r-r-uck bespeaks contentment, his sharp and in-
cisive caw, caw, caw, means ‘‘ attention!”

> > >

Le a |

x ' ' ‘

/ Caw! caw! caw!

and his three fortissimo tones, embracing a distinct majoi
third, mean, I do not know what, but I sometimes think
“Come this way quick!”

on 208 * ‘es

i }
T t
THY e r-o c=
i |

wa }
“ Ca-cak- ca-caw!s

FAMILY Icteridz.

He takes a conspicuous stand at the top of some dead
limb when he sends out this emphatic summons, and it
certainly is vehement enough for one to imply that busi-
ness of a strictly important and urgent nature is pending.

The Crow has his enemies, plenty of them, and few if
any friends. Still, when he is tamed, he is very loyal to
his friend and protector, recognizing his voice and an-
swering his call at once. In autumn great numbers of
Crows congregate at the seacoast, where the supply of
sea food offers a more promising outlook for the winter.

Family iécteride.
BOBOLINK, BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC.

' This family represents a class of birds which, except-
ing the Orioles, are gregarious. The bills of all the spe- _
cies are comparatively sharp and adapted to their varied

’ diet, which consists of insects, fruit, seeds, etc. The
notes of all the species are distinguished by a metallic
quality, least noticeable in those of the Oriole, but em-
phasized and rendered harsh in those of the Blackbirds.

iG Bobolink is a “ bird of parts.” He is no
r . . . .
oar ie ordinary fellow; he is the soloist of comic

oryzivorus opera in the fields, the Reedbird on toast
L.7.2sinches of the epicure, the Robert of Lincoln of
May 12th the poet, and the Ricebird or Ortolan of
his enemy the rice grower of South Carolina! In
appearance he and his mate are utterly different; but
before the summer is past he changes his costume and
dons the sober colors of the female; not content with
all this variety, he changes his voice after the nuptial
season, and not another liquid, bubbling note do we
get from him when once he starts in with his mo-
notonous, metallic chink. In spring his colors are
patchy. Head black, nape of the neck corn-yellow; tail
and wings black, the tail feathers with pointed tips; mid-
dle of back patched or streaked with cream-buff; lower
back and upper tail coverts white; a patch of white also
on the shoulders; the bill, face, and under parts black.

M034

* ro <- - ir

‘

ey) ee 3:

BOBOLINK,

Female marked and streaked like a sparrow; brown
streaked with buff above; head dark sepia with a central
line of green-buff; lower parts pale yellowish buff graded
to buff-white. Nest in the tall grass on the ground,
woven of dried grasses. The birds are very cautious in
approaching and leaving the nest, always walking to
and from it a little distance, after alighting or before
taking wing. Egg gray-white of a bluish cast, speckled
with dark brown. The bird is unevenly distributed
throughout the eastern United States, and extends west
to Utah and Montana. It migrates through Florida and
across the West Indies to South America, usually via
_ Cuba and Yucatan.

The Bobolink is indeed a great singer, but the latter
part of his song is a species of musical fireworks. He
begins bravely enough with a number of well-sustained
tones, but presently he accelerates his time, loses track
of his motive, and goes to pieces in a burst of musical
scintillations, It is a mad, reckless song-fantasia, an
outbreak of pent-up, irrepressible glee. The difficulty
in either describing or putting upon paper such music is
insurmountable. One can follow the singer through
the first few whistled bars, and then, figuratively
speaking, he lets down the bars and stampedes. I have
never been able to ‘‘sort out” the tones as they passed
at this break-neck speed. Others who desired to record
the song have found the thing impracticable. Mr.
Cheney writes: ‘‘We must wait for some interpreter
with the sound-catching skill of a Blind Tom and the
phonograph combined, before we may hope to fasten
the kinks and twists of this live music-box.”

There is, however, not a small part of the Bobolink’s
music which is comprehensible. The first part of the
song usually carries with it a suggestion of the waltz, in
tolerably clear whistles set to three-four or nine-eight
time. The following annotation, a good illustration of
this ryhthm, I obtained at a spot called ‘‘ Paradise,” near
Smith College, Northampton, Mass.*:

* All of this Bobolink music is, of necessity, written two octaves

lower than the bird sings.

FAMILY Icteridz.

é= 108 Jlllegrc.
a cA Bu > >
PO L ‘
bh. S. jJed jy sii iy ry oO
La, Se re | ad &-
\ Y | —~g if I ] a
t

Rob, Rob Lincoln Ly rinole. Biziede b:

7 , ~~ Oo ¢- ra
+ ss TT Pt Pa -—_
rete #4
>
; | dl —
ry
Molto accelerando fh,,_._ P75. $
Y «TEA Pi dA dA J
VD Mal ail | | se PO
y Se ff dd 2 ee a a at — .
v pc OEE EE FT; SP = Fd Ul
¥ Fe
ial: ——

3 ; : 5:
Bobolink, Bobolink, sais ot ae

2. 4 .
efi retest eo
—_-b-4 Pa f(\\ © :

Vv Fi SY 5 =i

I have chosen to render the latter part of this song
(which is given in rapid, twanging, wiry tones) in a
series of comprehensible intervals, not unlike those
which Chopin introduces in his fantasias.. The bird sim-
ply suggested that kind of a ‘‘run” to me, that was all;
he did not in the least conform to pitch or interval. But
the character of the music was the same; and if every-
body understands that a fantasia is a musical composi-
tion freed from strict form and allowed to follow the
lead of fancy, they will see at once that the last part of
the Bobolink’s song unquestionably conforms to that
style. But if one prefers not to interpret bird music,
but to take it from Nature exactly as it comes, this bit
that follows may prove more acceptable:

a’ gc
- ae ae-S ‘ZL >
Sal Re > PPO OSE PEP I ie £8 ie EE *
TA) 4 | | OS CPOE al ER oF A dt RE i Ba TP

BOBOLINK.

Ur this:

ged

Then, here is still another song taken from a bird which
sang in a meadow not far from the campus of Dartmouth
College, Hanover, N. H.:

Allegro.
law GI p
Wa 7 e e
= =
QO i U
[@] “N\ yy

cres,

The poet Bryant expressed a few of the syllables of
the song with verbal accuracy. His

** Bob-o’-link, Bob-o’-link,
Spink, spank, spink,”

gives a good representation of the three-syllabled tones,
and also a fair imitation of the wiry quality of the tones.

The Bobolink is a distinctive meadow character. He
rises from the grass with a great deal more wing-action
than the shortness of his flight would seem to demand.
It is evident by the constant flipping of the wings that
flying is an effort with him, where it is no effort at all

FAMILY Icteridz.

with the Barn Swallow. Perhaps his constant foraging
in the meadow grass has put him out of practice on the
wing. However that may be, it is a significant fact that
he takes the shortest sea route to South America, and
the evidence goes to show he is usable to sustain him-
self in a very long flight. He arrives in New York from
the south about the first of May, and proceeds up the
Hudson and Connecticut River Valleys to Canada. Al-
though he is a very common bird in the vicinity of Han-
over, N. H., he is extremely uncommon in the Valley
of the Pemigewasset, at Plymouth, scarcely twenty-
seven miles due east; but again in Belknap County, the
same distance southeast, he is abundant.

All sentiment aside, it is impossible to state the true
value of the Bobolink relatively with agriculture. Mr.
Beal * says that he destroys $2,000,000 worth of rice in a
year, and Mr. Chapman says $3,000,000. Either way we
take it, the outlook is bad for the rice grower of the
South. In the North the bird subsists upon countless
varieties of insects and the seeds of useless plants, but it
would be difficult to prove that this beneficent work has
a money value which mounts up into the millions! I
quote from Mr. Beal the state of the case in the South:
‘* Were the rice fields at a distance from the line of mi-
gration, . . . they would probably never be mo-
lested; but lying as they do directly in its path, they
form a recruiting ground, where the birds can rest and
accumulate flesh and strength for the long sea flight
which awaits them in their course to South America.”
Then in regard to the two million dollars, Mr. Beal adds:
“If these figures are any approximation to the truth,
the ordinary farmer will not believe that the Bobolink
benefits the northern half of the country nearly as much
as it damages the southern half. . . . But even if
the bird really does more harm than good, what is the
remedy? For years the rice planters have been employ-
ing men and boys toshoot the birds and drive them away
from the fields, but in spite of the millions slain every

*See Farmers’ Bulletin No. 54, U. 8. Dept. of Agriculture, en-
titled, ‘‘Some Common Birds,” by F. E. L. Beal, B.S.

COWBIRD.

year their numbers do not decrease.” It is a fact that
_the clearing of forests in the North and the introduction
of rice culture in the South have afforded a greater avail-
able breeding area for the Bobolink, and it has accord-
ingly increased in numbers.

Cowbird This disreputable character, parasitic in
et habit and degenerate in all moral instinct,
L. 7.90 inches Sts its name through its fondness for bo-
April ist vine society, and its fame from its &bomi-
nable habit of laying its egg in another bird’s nest. It
is not handsome, either. A hood of dark snuff-brown
extends from the crown to the neck and breast; the
general color otherwise is an iridescent black; the tail is
somewhat square at the tip. Female a grayish brown,
lighter beneath, and graded to whitish gray on the
throat. Egg, white marked with evenly distributed
specks of cinnamon or sepia brown, deposited in the
nest of another bird, generally that of a Sparrow, Vireo,
and Warbler. The bird is rare in the mountainous parts
of northern New England, but is distributed from this
point generally west and south. It is a walker, not a
hopper.

The Cowbird has no song; his nearest approach to
music is a sort of guttural murmuring which, according
to Mr. Chapman, is produced with an apparently ‘‘ nau-
seous effort.” But these guttural chirps are an index to
the character of the bird; they are a harsh, metallic
gluck, zee-zee without rhythm or sentiment. Why
should they have either? The bird has no song—no
mate to call. He is a polygamist, a bird of no princi-
ples, a ‘‘low-down” character. He usually goes with a
flock of other evil spirits just like himself, and their fa-
yorite resort is the cow-yard or the pasture where the
cattle graze. Very probably they have one good redeem-
ing quality: they keep myriads of insects in check which
otherwise would worry the life out of the cows; but no
one seems to be positively sure about that. It is certain,
however, that the young Cowbirds do no end of harm to
the bird families upon which they are foisted, for there
is many a dainty Warbler or Vireo pushed out of the

53 m:

FAMILY Icteridz.

nest or starved to death by reason of the selfishness of
the loutish foster-brother.

Red-winged A beautiful slim and smooth black bird

ype: . with scarlet epaulets sways unsteadily on
aaa Sebi the supple stem of a cattail on the margin

L. 9.50 inches of the pond, and sends out a strange reed-
April ist like note which, according to Thoreau’s
way of thinking, meant Conk-a-ree! This is the Red-
winged Blackbird, whose personality and coloring are
as strong as his song is peculiar, The bird is lustrous
black with the exception of the lesser wing coverts
(i. e., the shoulders) which are deep scarlet; this color
is bordered on the lower side by buff or a deep
cream tint. The female lacks the red color or it is
modified to a deep crimson tinge; the black is also
modified by the rusty margins to the feathers, and the
throat by a rusty orange tinge; under parts streaked
with gray or white. The nest is placed in a low bush
or among reeds, and is woven of coarse grasses, weeds,
and plant fibres, lined with finer material of the same
nature. Egg, pale blue, spotted and zigzag-streaked
with brown. The bird is common throughout the east-
ern part of the country.

The Red-winged Blackbird is one of the easiest birds
to identify by his song, although that has the remark-
able quality of a mixed tone difficult to describe or to
place accurately on the musical staff. The song is made
up of three syllables, the first of which is obscure or dif-
ficult to catch unless one is not very far away from the
bird. Various writers interpret the syllables differently.
Emerson’s opinion is that

‘* The Redwing flutes his ‘O ka lee.’”

Mr. Chapman makes it ‘‘Kong-quer-ree”; William
Hamilton Gibson, ‘‘Gl-oogl-eee”; and yet another writer,
‘*Gug-lug-geee.” On two points all seem to agree, i. e.,
the three syllables, and a repetition of the vowel e in the
last syllable. So it is an apparently simple matter to
express the rhythm by signs, bearing in mind that the

‘ 54

7
aed
ra)
ar
1S)
3
aa
2
7)
bo
&
d
ss)
eo
fod

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

doubling up of the vowel e must mean a sustained tone;
if this is so, then the cabalistic signs should appear thus:

pa 4 PWUWNnnnnn wv
Gug - lug-gee-e-e-e-e-e-e!

By simply tapping and moving a pencil on a table this
way one can get the rhythm perfectly. If one should try
to whistle these three tones the difficulty would be great
but not insurmountable. It is only necessary to whistle
and say simultaneously, Gug-lug, with the second sylla-
ble about a third higher than the first, and then follow
that with a long-drawn geee in a tone midway between
_ the other two, but whistled and hummed simultaneously.
If anyone can do that, the sound produced will be a tol-
erable imitation of the Red-winged Blackbird’s song!
The advice seems not unlike the recipe in the imprac-
tical Cook Book: ‘‘ Take a quart of cream,” which was
echoed by the indignant housewife, who despairingly
added, “‘ As if we kept a cow in the back yard!” Pos-
sibly the reader may also feel inclined to comment in-
dignantly, ‘‘ As if I were a bird!” But one can easily
afford to pass the experiment if the general principle of
the rhythm is understood, for the Red-winged Blackbird
never fails to stick close to that.

The written music appears almost as plain, although
there is never that accuracy of pitch in the Red-wing’s
voice which would enable me to say he uses a perfect
third, or fourth, or sixth, as the case may be.

7 LY LPP ALP DDI ISL LOS IE LAPIS A
Twice Bva.
cf ‘A minor P eas Si = ew Lome cee SE ¢ St : ee cm |
t £ Ls =e ee F
Sir

Gug - lug- gee-e-e-e-¢-e-e-e-ef

To be sure the fellow is pardonably flat at times, and
then again distressingly sharp; but on the whole the
music is intelligible, welcome, and even inspiring, for it
is a joyous announcement that spring is at hand. There
is also, as William Hamilton Gibson writes, a felicitous
“gurgle and wet ooze in it,” which reminds us of the

FAMILY Icteride.

swamp, or the swimming pool in the springtime coloring
which the French artist Corot so much loved to paint. I
call to mind a bulrush-bordered pond in the Middlesex
Falls, near Boston, where one lovely spring afternoon I
heard a dozen Redwings ‘‘ gurgling” away like the
rippling of a brook. After studying the singers and
their songs for a full half-hour, there suddenly dawned
upon my mind the unmistakable evidences of concerted
harmony in the music; then, selecting the songs of six,
I arranged them in proper order, with the result shown
below, excepting the words (!) and the accompaniment,
which were added later.*

ee ov tinge a 2A: ws

~ — ° * uM Ca i E 2 7 i
i | - j
7 'O-ka “Tlee, kong quer-ree, \You-chootea, Oolong teal
mp. e ; 2
~.: le : :
9 —e : t ' eo | s
a 4 lett

slAg + oA Ee

3: 27. ged. Y ta

Gl-oogl\=leee,Conk-a-ree , Quang-|se tea,Shoo-chong tea!
-~— ie bee tie pate
be 1 . 5 Pie ; re 4 : T : 2

; ,

' ° =<: iy
ry ii } mi

This is really the proper way to study bird music; the
responsive character of the song is a strong factor in the
complete understanding of it. Half the bird songs we
hear are questions, the other half are the answers!

In spring the male Redwings arrive first, sometimes
in large flocks. It is fully two to three weeks later be-

*Of course the birds sang this one octave higher than it is
written,
56

MEADOWLARK.

fore the rusty-colored females put in an appearance;
then, as might be expected, the conversation waxes
lively, and the competitors for mates have a great deal
to say about themselves for nearly a month or so before
the mating begins. This is sometimes as late as the end
of the first week in May. About the first part of August
the birds have finished with all domestic cares, and have
begun a desultory career in the open country near the
coast; two months after this they are on the march
south again.

Meadowlark The Meadowlark, sometimes called the
age Field Lark, is a plump, sharp-billed, low-
L. 10.75 inches foreh2aded bird, whose colors are a perfect
Allthe year Symphony in light browns and yellows.
<A band of buff divides the crown into two equal parts,
each of which is bordered by a broader buff band, which
merges into yellow just above the front of the eye; the
sides of the face are grayish; back a mixture of black
brown and buff-gray, the black predominating; wings
like the back, but brokenly barred; middle tail feathers
the same, but the outer ones partly white; throat and
under parts lemon yellow, separated by a broad crescent

of black. In winter these colors are greatly modified
“with a brownish tone. The sexes are alike. Nest on
the ground among tall grasses; it is wholly constructed
of dry grass, and is sometimes arched like that of the
Ovenbird. Egg white with specks of cinnamon brown.
The bird is broadly distributed from the coast westward
to Minnesota, Illinois, and Louisiana. The Western
Meadowlark is a distinct species, with an entirely differ-
ent, and, according to Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, a far
more beautiful song.*

There is an unquestionably pathetic, if not mournful,
song among those which rise from our meadows in
spring and early summer which may at once be attrib-
uted to the Meadowlark. Like the Wood Pewee, this
bird is one whose slurred whistle conveys an impression
quite the opposite of cheerfulness, The strain is a dolo-
rous one to an ear listening for the minor key in Nature,

*See his Birds of Manitoba,
57

FAMILY Icteride. .

and the most optimistic interpreter could never clear it
of a certain plaintive quality. That is wholly due to the
bird’s habit of slurring his notes. It would be impossible
to represent them by dots—only a series of curves can
describe his indecisive attempts at “hitting” a tone
somewhere at random, thus:

No writer seems to have sufficiently emphasized this
point; indeed, all have apparently neglected it. Words
and high-sounding phrases are useless if not meaningless
without some adequate demonstration of facts when one
attempts to describe a bird’s song. Now, at best, it is
very difficult to convey an idea of sound on the printed
page without proper musical notations; and if such
notations are employed and one does not read music,
the situation is still unimproved. Evidently, then, it
becomes emphatically necessary to present the essential
character of a song by some simple means, and make it
still plainer by similes. If you will therefore whistle
the three curves given above the way they ought to be
whistled (providing there is such a thing as a curving
whistle) you will get the Meadowlark’s song! In other
words, a tone must be given descending or sliding to the
jirst tone below, then repeated with a slide to the fourth
tone below, and then repeated the third time exactly as
it was given at first. That expresses the essential char-
acter of the Meadowlark’s music. But that is, of course,
one song, and we must remember if fifty of the birds sing
there will be fifty songs! But in every one of them the
principle of the slur is absolutely maintained. Yet for
all that, even Mr. Cheney fails to place in his notations
of the Meadowlark’s song the very essential slurs (i. e.,
dashes) and grace notes, which would stamp the music
at once with its proper character.* It is undoubtedly
the case, however, with many musicians, that they take
too much for granted, and fail to be explicit. Mr. Chap-
man also does not ‘‘ dash” the beautiful little melody on

*I am at a loss to understand why, because he was a most acute
observer.

Meadowlark

MEADOWLARK,

page 266 of his Handbook of Birds, which song, he says,
is common about Englewood, N. J.—a place where both
the Meadowlark and the Wood Thrush sing as I have
never heard them sing in the vicinity of Boston. I have
given the minor response to this melody, but in the key
of D flat, where it seems to me most Meadowlarks pitch
their songs.

dagio. p Sy

ee |
sp sji¢ BD 4
0) <4 :
E Y é a”) ;
=e © ped.

The addition of the slurs enables one to whistle the air
in exactly the Meadowlark’s manner, and the added ac-
companiment shows the true value of the melody. I
heard in Nantucket in the summer of 1903 a bird which
sang with charming accuracy the following first two
bars from Alfredo’s song in La Traviata:

Lt _4

But this was sung in the same pathetic way in which
Violetta sings it a little later in the same act, when she
finds shc must give up Alfredo. There is an unmistak-
able pathos in the bird’s song; one fellow at Wellesley
Hills sang two bars of Aida’s ‘‘ Numi pieta” for me,
note for note thus* :

* See Verdi’s Opera of Aida, Act 1
59

FAMILY Icteride.

| Twice 8va... ae *
“Moderato. ; koi ot —

Yo Yih 4a ft | i hie > eR, | i A +

Ly bi” = » cm | os bo | i =
Oj)" Dp t 5a wi t L
ANITA be } Md te

? . (All with descending slides,

The song (on the same key) from the ninth bar, runs:

F “=z
anCantabiley _— es) ee
VY Pr, oOo | P-Torotrnreo T Q
bit Z- a u
a Whe [#7] [7] rd [7] hf :
LS | A IEE ns —= 4 2 Ma
7 ninth bar \
Aida > , dd
alto a) oe = g.
CO € ¢ Pip.
“Di, i’ i QO i120" (4) | ae | c -.
py 3 MO a “}
Vp “TID ODO ko a
[——<<

A response to this motive came from another part of the
field, thus:

) } 4
ide from theE mC.

It is not always the case, however, that the music is pa-
thetic, for one afternoon, while crossing the downs of
Nantucket, not far from the Cliff west of the town, I
heard a bit which was decidedly reminiscent of the song
and dance with castanets, in which Carmen attempts, in
the opera of her name, to lure José away from his duty:

(4 ot as —o———+ —~
Carmen.

Is 42 aa ola ol eee
: ===

'
ie 1

TT?

Pat
i -

—

_—

=
This, it must be admitted, was not sung in quite the
60

MEADOWLARK.

lively way the libretto would demand, but the melody
was correct:

Twice ie gen ineernte legato. yb gore
rn a J ° > ‘ 7

‘r 2
a oe ar c
iz, L La | a, “AW |
VT T | EEE ¢ ' U ia. EE | i!
As "(All with descending slides) ;

A moment later, however, another bird spoiled the
whole effect by finishing the song the wrong way, thus

¢ .
IMndante Ride,
oahu iv Ie
A *‘#.
+ - >.

AY Zz = —* ra
C7 v wad
Bird N°? 1 @
as | d responded:
44a — Ih t E i
= 4 i eke as e—t
ee

Meadowlarks, and birds in general, for that matter, are
prone to take unwarranted liberties with operatic scores,
as is witnessed by the following bit from Gilbert and
Sullivan’s Ruddygore, which came from a Meadowlark
in the vicinity of Boston:

Haas ye

|
“ail the bridegroom and the-

He hailed the bridegroom but drew the line at the bride;
why did he not finish?

Allegretto. ms cal x
2 ae : 2)

Hail the bridegraom and the oride,

4 Ss

_
a

FAMILY Icteridex,

But I am unable to say whether he had a grudge against
the bride or simply forgot his part! To speak frankly
about the musical ability of this bird, whose name fos-
ters rather sanguine expectations, it is proper to say at
once, that for so promising a fellow he is afraud. His
voice is disappointing, wiry, and thin, and his attempts
are always unfinished. Therefore he cannot justly be
considered one of our best song-birds, even though Wil-
son seems to have entertained a fairly good opinion of
him. For he writes, ‘‘ Though this species cannot boast
of the powers of song which distinguish that ‘ harbinger
of day,’ the Skylark of Europe, yet in richness of plu-
mage, as well as in sweetness of voice (as far as his few
notes extend), he stands eminently its superior.” To
sum up his qualities in a few words, he gives us a few
whistles in clear, subtile, tremulous cadences which are
really very fine and sweet. But he is not to be com-
pared with the Wood Thrush in tone of voice, nor with
the Song Sparrow in variety of song-motive. He isa
delightful songster, however, and his fragmentary mo-
tives when connected together form an exccllent bit of
melody; for instance, the song below (No, 1), which
came from a bird in Middlebury, Vt., finds its response

in the melody previously given (marked with an asterisk),
from Wellesley Hills, Mass. The response is repeated
here, in No. 2.

Moderato, — S @
A 2) AD

\ . )

Wd s | }|_ ~~! !
| a. | il | | be” |

Bird in Middlebury, VE, Noo response sigs Wellesley Hills,Plass

N21 ¢
4¢4

Of all birds the Meadowlark is the most provincial; he
ranges over a vast territory, does not migrate very far
from his breeding place, or perhaps does not migrate at
all. As a consequence his character is perfectly reflected
in his song; that, too, is strikingly provincial. The birds

‘2Z>

ORCHARD ORIOLE,

of Vermont sang a song so strange to me that at first I
did not recognize it; again the birds of Nantucket sang
a different song; and now, after a disinterested con-
sideration of the whole matter, I have come to consider
the song of the birds in New Jersey but one of many
forms each of which is distinguished by some local
characteristic. But in every case there is one thing we
can rely upon as unchanging, that is the descending
*‘slur.” Mr. W. E. D. Scott particularly emphasizes the
‘provincialism of the bird, and then adds: ‘‘Should you
hear the song of the Meadowlark, say in Denver, or in
New York, or at any point in Florida, I feel sure you
would never recognize it as the song of the same bird.”
But there his discrimination ceases—he reckons with form
but fails to reckon with character. I have never seen
the bird in the Pemigewasset Valley.

Orchard Compared with its relative, the Balti-
Oriole more Oriole, this Oriole cannot be called
puaertus common. Its normal range does not ex-

L. 7.30 inches tend farther north than Massachusetts,
May 15th and even in that State it is local. Incolors
the Orchard Oriole does not compare with the gorgeous
Baltimore. The breast and under parts are chestnut,
a tone of burnt sienna; head, neck, and upper back
black; lower back chestnut; throat black; wings
rusty black with chestnut shoulders, the tips of black
wing and tail feathers a trifle whitish. The female is
grayish olive green above and very dull lemon yellow
beneath; wings dusky brown with two whitish bars.
Nest pendent, or nearly so, woven of grasses and similar
to that of the Baltimore in materials; usually in an
apple-tree, or any small tree near a house, and situated
at the extremity of a limb, not more than twenty feet
above the ground. Egg, spotted and scrawled with
brown or black. The range of the bird is from the Gulf
States north to southern New England, Michigan, and
Ontario. Although he generally frequents the orchard,
he is often seen in the garden and among the shade
trees of the lawn.

The Orchard Oriole is an exceptionally good songster,

FAMILY Icteridz.

but I have not been able to gather a sufficient number
of records of his song to enable me to authoritatively de-
scribe its character. It is, of course, very similar to that
of the Baltimore, but it is more flexible and expressive.
Also, the notes are often characteristically separated into
groups of three, thus:

8va. @ as © 6 616 BO'e F 0 0'8 6 4 0.0 0,8 **eeeee
Allegro agitato. : Ss
My ef ees ,
Ao Ti
| Sa GP MN Fa ;
aoe” eh aaetren* RTs facem
De 128

—
== rs =
-_—T— é

—

This is the only record I have, and one cannot be sure
that its character is one which distinguishes the song of
the species; the delivery is certainly more rapid than
that of the Baltimore, but the notes are in consequence
confused. Mr. John B. Grant writes, that he tunes *‘ his
lively notes in a manner so hurried, that the ear is scarce
abie to thread out the shrill and lively syllables of his
agitated ditty. Between these hurried attempts, he also
gives others which are distinct and agreeable; but still
his tones are neither so full nor so mellow as those of
the brilliant and gay Baltimore.”

Baltimore The brilliancy of this Oriole’s feathers
ee has given him two significant names,
galbula Golden Robin and Firebird, also the pen-
L.7.s0inches dent character of his nest has added an-
May toth other Hangnest. But the name Baltimore

Oriole has prevailed above the others, and it is to be
hoped will eventually displace them, for the bird is no
relation whatever to either the American or the English
Robin, and in appearance it does not suggest a fire nor a
nest. It does, however, deserve the historic name of the
first Lord Baltimore, as his Lordship’s arms were bla-

Baltimore Oriole Irchard Oriole

(upper figure) (lower figure)

BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

zoned orange and black, and the bird’s colors are the
same. The head, neck, shoulders, and the upper part of
the back are jet black; breast, lower back, anc the under
parts brilliant cadmium orange; wings black, lesser
coverts orange, margin of the greater coverts tipped with
white; end half of middle tail feathers black, the rest
orange with a middle black band. Female similarly
marked with burnt orange (very dull) and rusty black.
Nest, pendent from the Y of a small branch at the ex-
tremity of the limb twenty to nearly fifty feet above the
ground; woven of plant fibre, string, hair, grass, etc.,
and a perfect pocket in shape. Egg, white, curiously

marked with scrawls of sepia brown, and with few spots. _

‘The female does nearly all the nest-building; it is doubt-
ful if the male is very often allowed to assist.* Mrs.
Olive Thorne Miller has named the young Oriole the
cry-baby of the bird world, and that it is entitled to the
appellation there is no shadow of doubt, if we except
the young Swift. Both birds at a certain age keep up
an incessant chippering clamor for food.

The Oriole is a musician in the fullest sense of the
word. His ability to whistle a well-constructed song is
unquestionable. His only fault is his fragmentary treat-
ment of a good theme, and his chary way of singing it.
He is lavish with calls and chatterings, and devotes too
much time to preliminaries before he begins on the song
that he is well able to round out to a satisfactory finish.
In this regard he is not equal to the Song Sparrow,
whose exuberant good spirits are expressed by twenty
songs in the same period of time that the Oriole would

take for five. But the Song Sparrow’s voice is thin and |

weak beside that of the Oriole; the latter has a full, rich,
round, though somewhat metallic whistle, suggestive of
the mezzo-soprano, generally reliable in pitch and per-
cussive in effect. Oriole, too, is not without the harsh,
grating, unmusical note that belongs to his family (Ic-
teride); for sometimes you hear a scolding tone issue
from his bill that is reminiscent of the Grackle. A bird

*Certain authorities to the contrary. But the male does assist;
my own observations are sufficiently supplemented by those of W.
E. D. Scott, vide Bird Studies, p. 90, G. P, Putnam’s Sons, ,

FAMILY [fcteride.

I heard in the Arnold Arboretum introduced these harsh
notes, in a very amusing fashion, in the following song:

‘ 7 * > I~ > ;
se PES pigs tEF HHH E
TE PE TE a aE
Se cena aoe Ppp
; =

He begana light dancing air, i ave these ~_
f “4 e 7 1 tires loneles fg
cachling roles, igre

aa’ Ss h

= —4 at
Wai geet gt Pare Sa

If one should ask the question, ‘‘ How does the Oriole
sing differently from the Robin ?” the answer is given at
once by, comparing the series of dots below which repre-
sent the rhythm in both birds’ songs: here are three
songs of the Oriole:

N?1 6 e°@ ee e e eee es

oe © cece ©

N°3 oo ae RI) oo eeeoev ee eee e @
and here is the Robin’s:

eee eee eee e se

Cheerily, cheerily, cheerily, _ cheerup, _cheerily, cheer.
It would be practically impossible for the Robin to sing
that succession of notes at the end of No. 3. Moreover
nearly every note the Oriole sings is given staccato, i. e.,
in a percussive manner.* All the Robin’s notes are tied
together in groups of three, or rarely two. Robin sings
a detached or interrupted warble, and continues that
sort of thing indefinitely; Oriole does nothing of the
kind, he begins a shorter song and continues it without
interruption (except by syncopation) to its close; the dif-
ferent spacing of my dots indicates the respective values

*In imitating the staccato character of the Oriole’s note it is
necessary to put the tongue with the tip at the roof of the mouth
directly behind the upper front teeth, then it can be used as a valve

to permit the sudden escape of a whistled note which must be cut
’ short by the tongue being returned at once to its position.

BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

of the notes only. Now the music of song No. 1 from a
bird in Forest Hills, Mass., is as follows:

4a 152 Vivace oe : eae ne Oy ans

(ay? >A EK: 1 a pt
ica thus: and finally sang thus:

N°1 om = - Jinally sang é

ft 7

ae Ss
A. U

It is to be regretted that the bird did not finish, or sup-
plement his theme with the following variation, which
strangely enough came from another fellow in another
part of the State (Roxbury), a year later:

_ - > e . * 4
4-152 5 ‘ < —_ r lie, > . ,
DA | 2 2 2. y me oP
The 8 BEE 220 a > [ORS ad yi >»
| i “A ee Li | j .% j «
: T_T = ' . '
a _— J
3 ‘ee Jt 4
7 A
° SS ch U i
bhAg '
rp.e

But that is usually the way with Orioles, they leave you
‘to find out who has the rest of the tune and where it
will be heard, while they forage among the blooms of the
old apple-tree in search of caterpillars. Occasionally,
again, one gets the last half of a tune and never hears the
first part.

Here is an instance:

i co
P] = 126 aa e- = e . .
wd 0) +t. - Be 2
ie LT e | 4 = | 4 6
a” T A
4
ie mf This was his finale! — there was no beginning
o-
ol te PS | 2
=——4¢ : p>

FAMILY Icteride.

It came from an Oriole one morning in June, as I
sat on the piazza of my cottage in Campton. The bird
came and went in a few minutes and I never got an-
other note from him. This is the music of song No.
2 in the preceding records; certainly it is a most sprightly
cadenza deserving a good beginning. All of this music
is remarkable for its syncopated character; look at the
bars and it will be seen that the bird occasionally fails to
put in an important note at the proper place, or that he
accents a note without reference to the time-beat. In
music this is called syncopation, and in the popular esti-
mate, rag-time! I have never discovered this character
in the song of any other species than the Oriole; it be-
longs exclusively to this bird. Here is a remarkable in-
stance of syncopation, which I took from an Oriole that
sang in the Harvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Mass.

> > : 4a
= , ?. . > 3 >
1-138, # rt
L i
i iL
A 2 2 } 2 3 TEED it 4 _|_} T At
(8) ii
j |
oe =
6 a i}
8 ¥ ij
. ;
a

The accents are out of all proper relation to the time-
beat. How well the Oriole can deliver a series of thirds
in a minor strain the following transcription, however
incomplete, will show: .

and one of the most striking instances of his ability
to jump back and forth on an interval of a third, is de-

BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

monstrated in the next song, which I heard early one
morning before rising, in Springfield, Mass.

” This os pera doubt of the rg: finally it came as above.

i iaa Scoeerct
oat a i

It sounded at first like a boy whistling, who was not
quite sure of his theme. But at last I recognized the un-
mistakable staccato style of the singer—it was the Oriole,
and he was practising a bit of that familiar song in the
opera of Martha!
‘TI can wash, sir, I can spin, sir,
I can sew, and mend, and babies tend.”

Oriole has a certain vehement if not excited way of
singing which is all his own. No other bird can give
a staccato note so well, none other, except the Thrush,
can approach him in clearness of style; he never mixes .
things up, his A is A, sharp or flat, it never gets too near
B. His song may be doubtfulin pitch, he may even be
quite out of tune, but he never slurs over a passage, or
slides down the scale like the Wood Pewee; on the con-
trary, he hits his notes with hammerlike taps directly on
the head! He is a sharp-billed, sharp-witted character,
and his remarks are as incisive and crisp as the toots of
a steam whistle; the following record, which I got in
Campton, N. H., will show that plainly:

2=138, . Le 2 } -
; r o- e > a rhe
mi t mm? aay 4 L
iT, See, ak © ee LB, i, | i Sia
7s — - x ad ad

After the above introduction, these notes were given with the
sharp precision ofa steam whistle.

£ { re,

law 2

Us, -_ a
is e [f) y

Ay 4 Cm i ie) 5

G
a.

FAMILY srcteridez.

After observing the Oriole, one realizes how unlike the
Robin he is in vocal habit and method of work. He
carefully searches every leaf among the smaller branches
of some tree near that in which his mate sits on her nest,
and at the same time whistles a note or two perhaps to
assure her of his whereabouts, but in a very desultory
manner, as if business were too important to waste any
time in song. His note is immediately changed, how-
ever, if anybody approaches the nest or any harm
threatens, then it becomes excited, harsh, and metallic,
and is often repeated in a series of rapid, high tones sent
out as a warning to his mate. When all is quiet again,
he resumes his hunt for food, and soliloquizes now and
then, much as Wilson says, ‘‘ with the pleasing tran-
quility of a careless ploughboy, whistling merely for his
own amusement.”

pderato. = 6 . - ° é j . oe e —_ 2 po. ie
sg, > : at ~ e ef epee ¢
im) i“ = |

ASST TN 7-15?" ee Pe eg ee
| 4
?

ae ry ai
ma°) id
“He soliloguizes as he hunts for caterpillars; then breaks into song-
N°3 mp. f
2
yr

| | S
"ae | j es
ot restore =a
. !
0) coe
This is song No. 3 of the foregoing dotted records.
Rarely the Oriole invades the garden and helps himself

to green peas, but as a rule his food is arboreal in charac-
ter, and consists of beetles, caterpillars, grubs, and ants.

PurpleGrackle. The solemn, large Blackbird with an
Crow Black- iridescent violet-blue neck, which walks

bird ; with some deliberation over the ploughed
pesininh ground of spring, especially in the region

L. 12.00 to south of Massachusetts extending to
13.25inches Georgia, is the Purple Grackle. His head,
March roth = neck, throat, and a limited part of the
breast are lustrous violet-blue with steel-blue and green-
blue intermingled; back and rump metallic bottle-green

BRONZED GRACKLE.

and magenta-crimson intermingled, the feathers show-
ing a defined iridescent barring ; wings and tail metal-
lic violet and blue-black ; lower parts like the back, but
lacking lustre. Female similarly marked but the colors
much duller. Nest, a compact mass of mud and coarse
grasses lined with finer grasses; generally in colonies
in coniferous trees, about twenty to thirty feet above
ground. Rarely in thick bushes. Egg, a varying pale
blue-green marked with specks and scrawls of cinna-
mon-brown or sepia. The range of the bird is, as stated
above, east of the Alleghanies, and westward only in the
lower Mississippi Valley.

The Purple Grackle is a songless bird, and his conver-
sational notes are not altogether mtsical; they lack the
rhythm and “chink” of the Red-winged Blackbira’s
o-ka-lee, and the ringing quality of the Blue Jay’s ge-
rul-lup. But he gives us a good octave and sometimes a
sixth, in a resonant metallic whistle, though most of his
notes sound like the twanging of piano wires, and his
Yarsh er-r-r-r-rrr like the click of a watchman’s rattle.
Comparing this species with the Bronzed Grackle, Ridge.
way says that the song of the western bird is ‘‘ very
much louder and more musical or metallic” than that
of its eastern relative.

In the Mississippi Valley the Purple Grackle is abun
dant; farther east in New England, it is decidedly local,
though frequently seen in the period of migration. Af-
ter July it becomes rare by reason of its collecting in
large flocks and retiring to some place where there is
an abundance of food; but again in the fall it reappears
in large numbers preparatory to the southern flight.

Bronzed This large and handsome Blackbird dif-
Grackle fers from his near relative the Purple
hd ie Grackle in the color of his back, which is
Guisoaius a lustrous bronze.

quiscula The head, neck, throat, and upper breast
aéneus are brilliant steel-blue, violet, and green-

L.12.00inches pjye intermingled ; wings and tail metallic

March 15th F Nag 3
violet and blue-black ; under parts similar

to the back but lacking the lustre. Female without the

AMILY Icteridez.

lustrous sheen of the male, the back and under parts
brown without iridescence. Nest generally in pines or
spruces, compactly built of mud and coarse grasses, lined
with finer grasses; usually twenty to thirty feet from
the ground. Egg variable, pale blue, or blue-green
blotched and scrawled with light and dark brown. The
range of the bird is from Labrador southwest to the
lower Mississippi Valley (on the west slope of the Alle-
ghanies only), and thence to Texas, then northward to
Great Slave Lake*; it occurs in western Pennsylvania, New
York, and Massachusetts more or less locally.

The Bronzed Grackle’s note strongly resembles the
noise of a squeaky hinge on an iron gate! The bird has
no song, and there is no music in his harsh conversa-
tional chatterings. If one takes a sheet of note paper
and whistles an octave against its edge, the quality of the
tones produced, with their wide interval, closely imitates
the Grackle’s best note.

ell

.
”

One certainly can not call that music! The other queer
noises sound like rattling shutters, watchmen’s rattles.
ungreased cart wheels, vibrating wire springs, broken
piano wires, the squeak of a chair moved on a hardwood
floor, the chink of broken glass, the scrape of the bow on
a {fiddle string, and the rest of those discords which
commonly play havoc with one’s nerves! Evidently
when nature’s orchestra was tuning for the Spring
Symphony, the Grackle failed to screw up his vocal
cords to the proper pitch.

The birds are gregarious even during the nesting sea-
son, and in spring and summer seem to be equally busy
‘*ploughing up” the earth in the already broken field
with their long, crowlike bills; naturally such action
creates trouble with the farmer, but on the whole, an
examination of the constituents of the bird’s diet, shows

*Vide Chapman's Handbook of Birds,
72

FAMILY Fringillide.

that he is a greater insect destroyer than a crop de
stroyer.

Family Fringillide.,
FINCHES, SPARROWS, GROSBEAKS, ETC.

This is the largest and most important family of birds;
important not only because its members are common in
all parts of the country, if not the whole world, but also
because they are, to a certain extent, our best common
songsters. The list includes some excellent vocalists
which are surpassed only by the Thrushes, viz.: Purple
Finch, Evening Grosbeak, Goldfinch, Vesper Sparrow,
White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Field
Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Chewink, Rose-
breasted Grosbeak, and Indigo Bunting. These are no
ordinary singers, and if we should include the more
southern Cardinal Bird, our American list would be be-
yond comparison the most musicianly one in the world !
The Song Sparrow alone is unexcelled in variety of song:
motive and in accuracy of pitch.

The family is distinguished for its broad, stout, canical
bills, which are strongly built for hard work on gravelly
soil where seeds are usually distributed, and for the
crushing of the seed-coating or shell. The development
of such a bill as this has been instrumental ih giving a
certain character to the voice. That of the Rose-breasted
Grosbeak is a notable instance; it is modified and mel-
lowed by the large cavity of the beak.

As the family is chiefly dependent upon seeds for its
sustenance, many members are not so migratory as
they would be did their diet consist wholly of insects.
The Sparrow tribe is also one with distinctive ground
habits, and its mixed brown coloring is admirably pro-
tective ; especially so is the light, neutral tinting of the
under parts which compensates for the otherwise con-
spicuous shadow of the dark figure.*

*This remarkable adaptive coloring of birds and animals has
been a subject of special study by the artist Mr. Abbott Thayer,
whose lectures on this topic are supremely instructive and
interesting.

FAMILY Fringillide.

Purple Finch This Finch is the first bird of importance
Lianet as a singer in the family to which he he-
Carpodacus
purpureus longs. I have no knowledge whatever of
L.6.20inches the song of the splendidly colored Pine
Aprili2th,or Grosbeak, a distinctive northern and win-
allthe year = —_ ter bird which occasionally visits Campton
in mid-winter, and very little of the warbling song of the
Evening Grosbeak, a Mississippi Valley bird. In order,
these two species come before the Purple Finch. The
latter songster is the most perfect and lovely warbler we
have. The term warble is unfortunately too indiscrimi-
nate in its application to the song of a bird, and it needs
the clear definition which I have endeavored to give in
the pages which follow. Also the term purple is an un-
fortunate color description which, at the very best, is ab-
solutely misleading. I knowof no North American bird
which possesses a single purple feather ! *

The Purple Finch is not purple, his colors are those of
a Song Sparrow suffused with crimson to a greater or
less degree. Head, breast, and lower back strongly tinged
with crimson, that color fading to a faint tint, almost
white, on the lower parts; back, madder or crimson
brown; wings and tail sepia brown, the edges of the
feathers light crimson, the tail distinctly forked. The
female lacks the crimson tinge and has the appearance
of a brown Sparrow with gray markings. The bill of
this Finch is remarkably stout, and of a brownish horn-
color; over its base are a few fine feather-tufts. The
nest, built of rootlets and grasses, is generally in an
ever-green tree, and on a horizontal branch from ten to
thirty feet above the ground. Egg light greenish blue,
spotted with sepia at the larger end. The range of the

* Purple, nowadays, is considered almost a violet ; it is simply
violet leaning toward crimson. What the ornithologist means by
purple is crimson ; the botanist makes the same mistake, his purple
flower is usually crimson or magenta. Both scientists use the term
with its classic significance, precisely as it is used in King James’s
version of the Scriptures. The men clothed in ‘‘ purple and fine
linen *’ wore crimson and white garments. There is no excuse for
employing obsolete words with obscure meanings in these iatter
days when accuracy in the statement of fact is considered im
perative. t

PURPLE FINCH LINNEY.

bird is throughout eastern North America ; its food con-
sists mostly of seeds and berries, but there are unques-
tionably frequent depredations committed among the
blossoms of the fruit trees.

As a singer the Purple Finch has no equal when we ex-
clusively consider his method. He is a warbler with
an incomparably sweet warble. Ina measure his song
is like that of the Warbling Vireo, but it is far beyond
anything which that bird ever attempted. The Vireo’s
warble is stereotyped, that of the Finch is untrammelled
and characteristically variable. The Vireo’s warble is
scarcely sweet, it is rather lively and cheerful, although
it produces the impression that the bird has rolled it
around in the mouth like a sugarplum ; but the quality
of tone lacks the fulness, the richness, of the Finch’s tone.
There is a ripeness, or mellowness to the voice of the
Finch which I attribute entirely to the superior size of
his throat and bill. As a consequence, this larger bird
has a stronger and deeper voice, he sings quite half an
octave lower than the Vireo, with the advantage that he
can put more expression in the lower register, and he does
_ so, for his song is singularly sentimental, indeed, its pas-
sionate persuasiveness is truly loverlike and irresistible.*

Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell calls the song ‘‘ a sweet-toned,
-earelessly flowing warble,” and adds to this a rather
poetic estimate of it; but for purposes of identification, -
such a description of music is manifestly inadequate. _
A song which bursts forth under “stress of gladness”
can be illustrated at the piano in a hundred different
ways. Neither is it possible to adequately demonstrate
the song by aseries of dots which will represent the notes ;
this is the only way it would be possible to print such dots :

eee tae fy 3

and they certainly do not carry with them very much
meaning! It is better for a more perfect comprehension

* I consider this lower register of the Linnet’s or Purple Finch’s
voice the key to his popularity as a singer, for he is often caged
The register of the Canary is too high for expression.

FAMILY Fringillida.

of the song to ascertain exactly what is meant by
that simple but expressive English word warble. In old
French, the word werbler meant to speak with a high
voice. The German wirbeln also means to warble, or to
whirl; evidently our English word, therefore, has been
adopted to describe a voice which sings high, and quav-
eringly or whirlingly. That, to my mind, is precisely
the way warbling birds sing! Run your eye rapidly
along the dots and dashes above which represent the
Purple Finch’s song, follow them with the pencil’s point
and at the same time whistle quaveringly and rapidly
any notes you please, comprehending, say, an interval
of a sixth, and you will have an approximate represen-
tation of this Finch’s song. The dashes, of course, rep-
resent slurred tones, the character of which has been
fully explained in the musical key. The dots should be
considered as so many distinct tones given with a musi-
cal shake. Call this shake a frill if you prefer the
word, but be sure that you shake or trill on each one of
the dots, and do it very rapidly, too, for the song as
above written must not occupy a fraction more than
three (see metronome figures given at head of song)
seconds of time! To be still nearer the truth, it is also
necessary for you to ‘‘ burr” all the notes, that is, hum
and whistle simultaneously. No doubt the directions
appear complicated, but in comparison with the pronun-
ciation by an English tongue of a German expression
like Ausgegrabenes Buch, the difficulty with the bird’s
song is merely child’s play!

But how easy it is, after all, to follow the notes prop-
erly recorded on the musical staff:

d- =176 Presto et
sngap ten ttt te. CEE ib!
) STy¥

_— Tt
+ i ne

fe)
U

SZ
7 Sempre dolee eres. mf rallent. dim,
et tremolo, (The bira sings an octave higher)

Fe oe sree Seer se SE

PURPLE FINCH LINNET.

_ that is the song as it is demonstrated by the dots and
dashes previously given. This record does not neces-
sarily imply that the bird correctly gave the intervals as
they are written, he certainly did not do that. His was
@ careless, free warble, but it ran smoothly along, up
and down, with increasing volume, in exactly the way
indicated on the musical staff. About a year after I
took this record, I was greatly pleased to obtain another
which seemed to supplement it perfectly, thus:

pNtee

Q
y

vf Sempre dolce ete. mf

In the examination of these two motives there is every
reason to conclude that the rapid and wandering move-
ment that distinguishes both of them demonstrates the
real character of the Purple Finch’s music. I have
never obtained anything more by collecting a score or
so of other songs. It is true that all were different, but
all followed the same rule; they made first-rate motives
for Spanish Tarantelles!’ The best proof of that fact is
the comparison of the following song with those which
precede it.

Prstose tte ete tio ets £?

‘oe FFe ete Tit ete +
Or ST REM EY aR AZ GN AG RG at
. j Saas Ste Some aoe [=A +
Q —-#
742)
¢ Sempre dolce ete, cres. of ritard.
| r ! | 4
& ¢ ast

FAMILY Fringillide.

and again this rather clever bit with the foregoing *.

d = 1607 7esto_ = Nits?
scherza nh fefeet tft er 4 F epee
1 0 A eH | pia aN He as He |
yA Oe an je ee ee
ere »
¢ Sempre dolce rallent. a tempo,
et tremolo. lento
ben marcato. Cres Mg
Ars awa "y | ed i }- — . n +

ie yd ee

One is inevitably forced to conclude that the Finch’s
idea of music is confined to the rapid dance-type in six-
eight time to which belongs the so-called Tarantelle!
No one seems to have discovered that the Purple Finch
sings just this way, and possibly no one is prepared to
deny it; so perhaps it is proper to prove the case by in-
troducing a bar or two of Chopin’s wild Tarantelle for
the sake of comparison:

VrZ oy
RAs) ae 1 it
| a |
? 7 he

7? ! = eae ee

; t, i
Thispart'/s Piatti A and this like a. serege the Finch,
a eae ik: . vl b

POET : 1
ese Pe Poe nie
ame A ay Aa a ne a oe r .
, (> ~ rie & 0

This may seem a far-fetched simile, but one must not
look for similarity of melody between the great com-
poser’s work and the song of the bird, that does not
count for everything, in this particular instance it
amounts to nothing; it is the musical construction or
motive which counts, and who will venture to deny that
the bird and the musician worked out their melodies
upon precisely the same musical principle?

Torr

*T confess that the rapidity with which this scrap must be per:
formed at the piano according to the metronome time is something
which will tax the ability of a musician,

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. —

American This beautiful little Finch is quite as often
Goldfinch called the Yellow-bird, or Thistle-bird, two
Astragalinus

tristis names which are due to his coloring and his
L.g5.10inches association with ripe thistles the seeds and
May 15th, or down of which respectively furnish him
allthe year = with food and asoft nest-lining. Although
he remains all winter in certain parts of the country, he
is a late arrival in the colder climate of Campton, and I
scarcely expect to see him with many of his fellows
much before the latter part of May. In spring and
summer his coloring is a brilliant combination of pure
lemon yellow and black, The head-cap is black; upper
and under parts bright yellow; wings black; the should-
_ ers and secondary feathers white at the tips; tail black,
with the inner vanes partly white. In winter the yel-
low is replaced by an olive gray similar to that of the
_ Canary, who is his very near relative.* Coloring of the
female similar to that of the male in winter. Nest of
grass, moss, and shreds of bark, lined with thistle-down;
it is generally lodged in a Y fork of a tree or shrub, and
is from six to twenty-five feet above the ground. Egg
bluish white and unmarked. This Finch is common
throughout eastern North America. The greater part
of its diet is grass and weed seeds,

The song of the Goldfinch is, in part, very similar to
that of the Canary. It is replete with the lively humor
of the bird. One cannot listen to the full song of a
characteristic singer without laughing involuntarily at
the unmistakable glee in which it is executed. Only the
Bobolink ean excel the Goldfinch in spontaneity of feel-
ing, and not even he can cram so much pure fun into
one short musicalsentence! The Canary splits his higher
‘register into a series of ear-piercing trills; the Goldfinch
does not trill at all! The Bobolink zigzags at a presto
pace through a cluster of indescribable metallic tones as
crazy as they arescintillant; there 1s no wild zigzagging
_ nor any scintillating among the notes of the Goldfinch.

The similarity of the music of the Canary and Goldfinch
* As a general rule, the so-called olive coloring of a bird is the

result of an admixture of black and yeliow in finest subdivision;
there is actually no true green in the tint.

FAMILY Fringillidx.

can be directly traced to the metallic, cut-glass-jingle
quality of the notes of both birds, and to the slurring,
chirping way in which these notes are delivered. Only
these two species can give us that long, violinlike,
swinging tone which covers nearly an octave in its
reach upward on the musical scale; here it is:

Thrice 8va.....

C-h-e-e-p

One is often deceived into thinking a Canary is in a
neighboring tree, when that familiar c-h-e-e-p comes
from it. To be sure, that is only the call-note, but it has
the same character that pervades the whole song of the
Goldfinch, which, as a matter of fact, consists entirely of
a series of rapid chirps with almost no melodic form. It
is impossible to find in this Finch’s song the melody which
is so attractive in the music of the Song Sparrow, or the
rhythmic form which makes the White-throated Spar-
row’s melody so charming. We must look for some-
thing else which will reveal the Goldfinch’s ‘‘ style”;
that will be discovered in the following arrangement
of dots:
fe © @ @ @ e

These dots practically mean six or more rising chirps,
three or more falling ones, and two clusters of four
notes which Mr. Chapman and others describe by the
words per-chic-o-ree. This, however, is not an arbitrary
form; the bird may begin with several chirps in a falling
inflexion and thus reverse the order given above, and he
may also give a different number of chirps; but inevi- .
tably at the close of the exuberant chirping he will add
his per-chic-o-ree, and when he does that, he signs his
musical autograph as perfectly as he would if he could
write at the end of the music bars—‘* American Gold-
finch!” The music on the staff does not appear different
from the dots: .

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH,

; «200 Vivace. Tartehe Moderato, > >
a ht | — betel | S| ft ttf eg
yt Set ELS Se BE
JZ ;
ae Pee Perchic-o-ree, Per-chie-o ree

ee ae | a =

the pitch and the key are of no particular value, but the
relative positions of the notes accurately represent the
fluctuations of the tones of voice. A second record
which follows (the two fit together nicely) does not show
anything essentially different in principle.

Vivace. Moderato > >
tng LELELE OOO
mre dedeapeadededeseis=ceee
Con fuoco. Per-chuc-o-ree, Perchicoree.

.% 1 + 1

t t

Y = =. 5
Cae SS Sree

, ;
‘There are the same rapid upward and downward chirps,
and finally the little musical addendum—the per-chic-o-
ree ; this last he indulges in with exceptional gusto while
he ison the wing. His habit is (particularly in the late
afternoon) to chase about at no great height in the blue
summer sky for nothing in particular but the pleasure of
the thing, and tell all the world that he is feeling re-
markably ‘‘chipper”; as he goes he sings with a thin

wiry voice:

5 }

Per-chic-o - ree.

Ay".
wT
J

and he does so rhythmically with his undulating flight,
always breaking out with the song just at the crest of the
6

FAMILY Fringillide.,

wavelike curve. The swoop downward is, of course,
with closed wings, and the recovery is effected at the
bottom of the flight by some rapid flips of the wings,
then up he goes, and again the cheery notes. It would
seem as though the writer of those familiar lines—

** Or if on joyful wing,
Cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot,
Upward I fly ”"—

must have seen this bird’s afternoon performance, or he
never could have chosen a simile so remarkably sugges-
tive of the joyous heart of the happy little rover. Both
in this peculiar habit and in character of song the Amer-
ican Goldfinch resembles its European relative. Audu-
bon says, in describing the bird, ‘*So much does the song
of our Goldfinch resemble that of the European species,
that whilst in France and England, I have frequently
thought, and with pleasure, that they were the notes of
our own bird which I heard.”

Mr, Chapman says, ‘* Their love song is delivered with
an ecstasy and abandon which carries them off their
feet, and they circle over the fields sowing the air with
music, The song has a canarylike character, and while
it is less varied it possesses a wild ringing quality want-
ing in the cage-bound bird’s best effort.” But I have
already explained the real difference between the Ca-
nary’s and the Goldfinch’s songs, and it only remains
to say that if the two birds were singing in the same
tree along with the Purple Finch, the melody of the
latter with his mellow lower register would completely
overpower the voices of the other two birds and their
songs would sound like so many squeaking violin strings!

There is onlv one occasion when the Goldfinch has
things all his own way so far as forceful singing is con-
cerned; this is at five in the morning, in the maple close
by your open window. There heis with fifty of his fel-
lows, and all sing ‘at the top of their lungs” whether
you wish to sleep or not. In that situation evidently the
Purple Finch would be in the minority, song and all.

SNOW BUNTING SNOWFLAKE.

Snow Bunting ‘Thisis an essentially beautiful winter bird
Snowflake whose music is not equal to his esthetic
Passerina < .
Sper coloring, but whose cheery appearance in
L. 6.80inches midwinter in the farmyards of our most
November ist northern States is hailed with delight. He
to Aprilist is after the remnants of scattered grain,

The Snow Bunting is the one sparrowlike bird which
may be described as nearly white, though there is some-
what of brown and burnt sienna to be reckoned with in
an inventory of his colors. In summer the male is white
excepting back, shoulders, and inner tail feathers, the
end half of the primary feathers and the inner secondary
feathers of the wings; these are all black. The female
at this season is streaked throughout the upper parts
with black of a dull tone, and the wing feathers are
sepia brown. In winter the male is tinged throughout
the upper parts with burnt sienna more or less modified
by the black bases of the feathers; wings and tail are
similarly suffused with burnt sienna which tips and
edges the feathers; the same color washes the breast and
sides, The female at this season is similarly marked, but
the primaries are sepia brown. The nest is built on the
ground: the materials used are plant fibres, grasses, and
moss. Egg blue-white heavily marked with red-brown.
The bird breeds only in the arctic regions, and migrates
south in winter to the more northern States including
Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, the coast of Virginia, and
Massachusetts. It feeds exclusively on seeds, and is
generally accustomed to move in rather large flocks;
often it is seen on the coast in association with the
Shorelark. The bird walks, and never progresses by hop-
ping; it is essentially a ground bird, and seldom if ever
takes to a tree unless pursued, preferring rather a fence or
aroof. Mr. Ernest E. Thompson says, *‘ As long as the
snow lasts the Snowflake stays, and as soon as the
ground grows bare . . , this bird of winter betakes
himself again to the north, as far as ever human foot has
been, and there builds his nest.”

Of the song of the Snow Bunting I think very little
is known. Pennant says, ‘‘ They breed in Greenland,
arrive there in Apri!, and make their nests in the

FAMILY Fringillide.

fissures of the rocks on the mountains in May. The out-
side of their nest is of grass, the middle of feathers, and
the lining, the down of the arctic fox. They sing finely
near their nest.” That seems rather meagre informa-
tion from a musical point of view! Thompson says one
time when a chill blizzard was blowing on the plains he
saw the little bird ‘‘ gleefully chasing his fellows, and
pouring out as he flew his sweet voluble song with as
much spirit as ever Skylark has in the sunniest days
of June.” Nor does that throw very much light upon
the situation! It is plain, also, that the few whistled
chirps we hear from him in mid-winter do not fore-
shadow his ability to sing the sweet melody which ap-
parently he must sing during the nuptial period spent in
the far north, for Mr. A. Hagerup testifies to the excep-
tional excellence of the bird’s music in no doubtful
terms: he says, ‘‘In Greenland his song is a sweet and
pleasing melody, though it is rather disconnected and
delivered in short stanzas,—a warble is perhaps the
English term best adapted to describe its character.”
This is at least definite and conveys the impression that
the song is not unlike that of the Purple Finch in struc-
ture although it is evidently cut up in the same fashion
as that of the Goldfinch, but perhaps in shorter measures,

But the Snow Bunting in our part of the world is more
interesting in color than in song, for we can scarcely
expect to hear his music within the boundaries of our
northern States. His appearance in the winter season is
preéminently picturesque, for he furnishes the artist
with all the color and movement necessary to make
a winter bird attractive and beautiful; his is a combina-
tion of the white of the whirling snowflake, the rusty
brown of the sear leaf, and the black of the frost-bitten
plant-stem—all tones of color admirably adapted to his
self-protection.* He is graceful, too, in every move-
ment, and especially so when he skims in a low and
glancing flight across the snow with a dozen of his
fellows in close company.

* What skulking fox would see him in a costume like that among

the shadows on the snow beneath the withered stems of the dead
golden-rod '
84

Snowflakes

VESPER SPARROW.

Vesper This Sparrow is sometimes called the
oe ia aa Grass Finch from its habit of spending

Srcasaei the greater part of its time in the fields
L. 6.10 inches foraging for seeds. Its coloring is not
Aprilioth,or very unlike that of the Scng Sparrow,
allthe year though it is somewhat grayer, and its
distinguishing mark is the white tail feathers which the
other bird does not possess. Upper parts gray-brown
similar to that of the weathered fence rail; considerable
streakiness in ochre and black modifies this color; wings
sepia brown with two inconspicuous white bars; the
shoulders are a bright chestnut brown; tail sepia brown
with the outer feathers on either side nearly all white,
the next pair with more or less white; breast and sides
streaked with ochre and black; under parts dull white.
Female similarly colored. Nest of grasses and rootlets,
lined with finer grass and hair; it is built upon the
ground. Egg, pinkish white speckled with chestnut o1
umber brown; it is sometimes bluish white evenly and
thickly speckled. The range of the bird is throughout
eastern North America with the western limit at the
Plains. It winters along the coast from southern New
Jersey southward. Its chief food is the seed of various
weeds, etc. Like the Snow Bunting it is essentially a
ground bird.

The Vesper Sparrow is a splendid singer chiefly for |
the reason that he seems to consider song a serious piece
of business which must not be interrupted by any of the
other duties of life. He will never be found feeding
and singing at the same time; the Red-eyed Vireo and
the Oriole do that sort of thing habitually; both birds
have a fashion of sandwiching their songs between tid-
bits of grubs and caterpillars. But not so with the
Vesper Sparrow, for when he sings he selects a high
perch (in Campton his favorite place is the ridge-pole of
the bowling alley which belongs to the hotel near my
cottage), and begins a season of song which is likely to
last without interruption for nearly halfan hour! A great
deal is written about the purity and beauty of this Spar-
row’s song, but it is a very simple matter to demonstrate
the fact that it does not compare with the remarkable

- PAMILY Fringillide.

' melodic accomplishments of the Song Sparrow. A
few minutes’ examination of the records of both birds’
songs should be sufficient to convince the most ardent
admirer of the Vesper Sparrow that his is not the ‘* best
bird!” Some years ago I tried to learn through the
books and various ornithological friends, what differ-
ence there was between the songs of these two Spar-
rows, but I tried in vain. That there was a difference,
and a very distinct one too, was a foregone conclusion;
but how to describe it—there was the rub! Since that
time Mr. Chapman has published his Bird Life, and in
that book he has explained the difference as well as it
can be explained in afew words. But words are entirely
inadequate to express a musical idea, and if I had to
demonstrate the nature of the Vesper’s song that way, I
should supplement the words by lines, and say the struc-
tural part of it resembled the gable end of a roof, thus:

form

the first half ascending in four or five clearly whistled
notes, and the last half descending in about as many
high-pitched, rapid, canary-like chirps or trills. Now,
suppose we resort to a series of dots to represent the
song’s form:

Thus, it will be seen the principle of the gable-roof lines -
is still maintained, and if one desires to hear the rhythm
thus represented, it is at once obtained by tapping each
dot carefully with a pencil. The music of the song
properly written on the staff resembles the nursery
melody of Lord Bateman:

J \
: je) L
i =
| i ts 7
Lord Bateman was a o-bl@ Lord.
Py if ie 2 — Phe .
EV L Pi =i * u
1 5 2 ee I iw i
ae AEE. le : ia } -
Vp_-oO t

moiieds iaddoysseiy Modredg rodsaA

*
i

Ra SS
toate.

he imibet * fs

-4 a oe

VESPER SPARROW.

The bird’s rendering appears as follows:
8va ee @

@-120 ~~ £ ee oy) 445
Saerase. go & ee 6 2
Dh sl I ‘ i a a i i i
Ri at! T ea, RR SR T T = 5
eres. #y dim
Lora, Lord Bateman W-a-s a rvo-b-l-e Lord, Lord,Lord!
aR | es
VDA a
ni’ s
A
Me. Js G-
a citi ae

I consider this one of the best and most characteristic
productions of the Vesper, though his confréres in other
parts of the country, by no means cling close to its melo-
dic form. Naturally the birds of every locality develop
certain provincialisms in song, and the Vesper is no ex-
ception to that rule. But he certainly does not attempt
to depart from the rhythm which characterizes the song
of his species. For example, the above record came
from a bird more than a hundred miles away from an-
other in Vermont which sang the following:

MI ON ae daa nck eee Jase
Hotraing 9 t Sbeeee « ££ 555%

9 U | Oe ie ee ee OS | ae
hv , iT OS | >
A)" A GS
a” Pd :
7 cres Jf dim.
7 5 a
=> by
£\° 9
may ON y ] g ES. 2
TS, r4 t x A
Ai

This record shows that the ascending and descending
divisions (or halves) remain in the same relative position,
although they are in a measure doubled, while the sus-
tained tones begin and the chirped or trilled tones end
the song precisely as they do in the first record. It is
not always the case that the opening tones progress up-
ward with exact uniformity; the next record shows a
drop to a lower tone before the trills begin:

FAMILY Fringillidez.

Hel}
He

hh.

Lae i bs a’ = a oe
A T T —|

The character of the trills, or chirps, too, needs some
explanation. In the first place, such notes can not be
properly called frills. I only employ that term in the
popular sense of its meaning rapidly repeated notes.
They are slurred tones covering intervals of indetermin-
ate length rendered in a shrill register beyond the limit
of the piano keyboard, and, so far as the ear is able to
detect, a whole octave higher than the sustained tones
which form the first half of the song. On my diagram
of bird songs (in the key), it will be seen that this Vesper
Sparrow has a break in his voice equal to something like
a full octave. It is no wonder, therefore, that ornithol-
ogists experience great difficulty in an attempt to de-
scribe such a song as that. But itis far from unusual
among the Finch Family. I call to mind a Canary,a
splendidly trained singer, who could render an operatic
melody in clear whistled tones, moderately high, and at
its finish strike at once into his natural wild song, which
must have been considerably over an octave higher.
That bird was owned by a barber whose shop was near
Union Square, New York, and its value was some fabu-
lously high figure which I do not remember.

The Vesper Sparrow sings with both style and feeling,
notwithstanding the defect in his vocal register. He
always begins pianissimo, swells in a fine crescendo and
diminishes as he descends to a tone very near the tonic:

gvederato. | | | SIT) —_ This motive is identical
— (te tt tot with that 9
tata rrr ih Chopin’ 3rd.
Z : - tC Scherzo;
Pv cresc. vivace, dim.

}

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.

cn CHOPIN. Ete e.

Le.
Din 2 i Fl ell af wT

bhi 4 } i
LY Vin A i 1

a ea 99
STS rT A bitdlike series of \arpeggips.
. roe i ioe

cna dl pt le 5 9 |
> > _ i+ B i
L 5 . ——— * :
~T5 ne Coir ae
; ae

He sings from sunrise to sunset with a sweetness and joy
at once inspiring and beautiful. He is not unsociable for
it is his habit to remain in the road hopping or flying just
ahead of you at a safe distance, showing the white feather
as his tail spreads in flight if you get too near.

Grasshopper Of all the common sparrows this is the
Sparrow one whose notes are pitched so high that
Coturniculus th indisti sinks

niscaennunian ey are in istinguishable to many ears,
passerinus and the bird is passed by unnoticed. Tone-
L. 5.20 inches deafness may not be as common as color-
May ist blindness, but it nevertheless exists, and

the person thus afflicted, in nine cases out of ten, will
tell you he does not hear the Grasshopper Sparrow sing
when he is doing so twenty or thirty feet away! This
is the common buffish toned bird of the Atlantic sea-
board,* with a mixed brown, black, and buff back, anda
sepia brown crown marked in the centre by a pale buff
line ; back of the neck ruddy brown ; region in front of
the eye burnt orange, and over the eye grayish buff ; the
bend of the wing is bright yellow, the primaries sepia, and
the shoulders yellowish olive ; the tail feathers are gray-
brown and pointed ; under parts brownish buff, gener-
ally without streaks, and fading to a dull white below.
Female similarly marked. The coloring of this Sparrow
is peculiarly protective, and its habit of skulking in the
tall grass makes recognition difficult, but a quick glance
may detect the yellow at the wing bend and the pointed
character of the tail feathers ; these marks are all that are
necessary for its identification. The nest is formed of

* Common near the coast of New Jersey, and southern New York,
and in eastern Pennsylvania.
89

FAMILY Fringillide.

grasses and a few hairs, and is built upon the ground.
Egg white speckled with sienna brown. The range of
the bird is throughout eastern North America ; it does
not breed north of Massachusetts, and is very uncommon
in New Hampshire. It is-essentially a ground Sparrow
which seldom, if ever, flies higher than the fence rail.

The song of the Grasshopper Sparrow is scarcely worth
recording on the musical staff. Itis difficult to tell where
his voice is really pitched, but undoubtedly it is at least
an octave higher than the topmost C of the piano! It is
a last, weak effort at music, culminating in an alphabet-
ical conclusion which may be represented by X—Y—zee-
e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e | The tones are stridulent and insectlike,
hence the bird’s common name. There should be no
difficulty in identifying the voice provided one is not
tone-deaf !

White-crowned This beautifully marked Sparrow is not
SRRET ON quite as uncommon as one would suppose
Zonotrichia A

_ leucophrys for the reason that he seeks the seclusion
L.6.80inches Of shrubbery and underbrush and thus
May toth escapes notice. He is often in company
with his near relative the White-throated Sparrow, or
Peabody-bird, and one has to watch closely for those dif-
ferences in costume and song which distinguish the birds
apart. The White-crown, unlike the Peabody-bird, has
no yellow before the eye nor on the bend of the wing;
also his coloring is a pronounced ashen tone quite different
from the warmer brown of his relative, and he lacks dis-
tinct wing-bars. Head striped with black and white
bands of equal width: a white one ir the centre of the
crown, the other two (one over each eye) extending back-
ward from the eyes; back of the neck, the throat, and
breast ashen gray; back darker brown-gray margined
with ashen gray; wings dusky brown, the feathers
edged with gray, the coverts tipped with gray-white ;
tail dusky brown ; under parts grayish white, the sides
buffish in tone. Female similarly marked. Nest of
grasses, and placed upon the ground or in a low bush).
Egg light green-blue speckled with chestnut or sienna
brown. Ridgway describes the range of the bird, thus:

MOLIVAG PoTMOII-9}IT AA MOIIEdS P9}eOI4}-9}TT AA

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

‘ Breeds from the higher mountain ranges of the west-
ern United States, . . . eastward, north of the Great
Lakes, to Labrador; in winter over the whole of the
United States, and south into Mexico.”

The music of the White-crown has never been ade-
quately described, nor has its melodic value been fully
appreciated, probably because the bird sings casually
during its migrations, and the opportunity for the study
of the song is consequently limited ; as a matter of fact
it is far superior in its melodiousness to that of the
better known White-throated Sparrow. Constructively
considered the two songs are absolutely dissimilar; in
general character they bear only a family resemblance.
Such an unequivocal statement, however, seems quite
at variance with Mr. Ernest E. Thompson’s description,
He says, “‘Its usual song is like the latter half of the
White-throat’s familiar refrain, repeated a number of
times with a peculiar sad cadence and in a clear, soft
whistle that is characteristic of the group.” Now the
latter half of the Peabody-bird’s (or White-throat’s) song
is a succession of notes invariably in groups of three,
and that kind of melodic structure does not characterize
the White-crown’s music! I cannot too emphatically
urge the importance of the governing rule in bird music,
which is, that each species has formed and followed its
own mechanical rhythm without relation to that of
another species. Here is the proof of the case in point ;
the White-throat sings thus: .« .« eee eee ees
the White-crown sings thus: . »«++«ee. Thereareno
pea-bo-dy syllables in this tune. At most, if the White-
crown attempts a trisyllabic note, he does only this:
* « . e+. . andone would scarcely detect the triple
note because that particular one is almost sure to be
double-tonea and not clear.* Again, as a rule, the song
of the White-crown (and that of the White-throat as
well) develops nothing which a musician would call a
musical cadence ; in this respect, therefore, I must un-
derstand Mr. Thompson to use the term in a general
sense, and refer to the modulations of the bird’s voice.

* There is absolutely no double-toned note in the Peabody-bird’.
Song.

FAMILY Fringillidz.

A musical cadence is perfectly illustrated by the latter
half of the Vesper Sparrow’s song, which progresses
downward to the finish at the tonic. There is nothing
whatever which remotely suggests that structure in the
White-crown’s song.

If I described the melody of this Sparrow, I should
say, it is composed of six, or at most seven notes (unless
it is doubled) ; the first one is twice as long as the others
which are of about even value, The intervals are fairly
accurate and include anything from a third to a fifth;
all the notes are clearly whistled except (generally) the
two next tothe last, and these are distinctly dowble-toned
or burred ; the whole is marked by an even crescendo to
the highest note which is next to or within one of the
last, or sometimes actually the last. But Mr. Thomp-
son’s description of the song, if it is taken from the point
of view which includes sentiment only, is categorically
correct, for the whistle is almost all clear and it has a soft,
pleading quality which isirresistibly sweet. Mr, Thomp-
son also adds that the bird ‘‘resembles his relatives
in singing his sweetest songs in the woods, sometimes
during the darkest hours of the night.” Mr. Ned Dear-
born describes the song of this Sparrow and compares
the last of it with that of the Vesper Sparrow, which
might lead one to think the final diminuendo a pro-
tracted one. He writes, ‘‘The song began with a
whistle as pure in tone as the notes of the White-
throated Sparrow, and ended with a vocal diminuendo
quite similar to the corresponding portion of the Vesper
Sparrow’s song.” The diminuendo is indeed there, but
it is a short one, and in comparison with that of the
Vesper’s performance quite insignificant, for the Ves-
per’s diminuendo embraces nearly one half of his song,
and applies to notes of an entirely different and canary-
like character (see notations of the Vesper).

The music of the White-crown is very easily recorded,
there is nothing dubious about his tones or his intervals ;
he may flat, or even sharp some particularly high note,
but there is no question about what he is trying to do;
his ideal is a group of clear, unhurried tones with pleas:
ing intervals like those in the first lines of the hymn :

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

OLIVET. Lowell Mason. x
2 i
ff ‘ m2 ' i iS ee
thy ? pe 2
ANS TA = iciateemass

“i My faith looks oe to Thee,

That is the musical form, but his melody is a bit differ-
ent, not to speak of the character of the sentiment,
which can not for a moment be questioned :

3-88 :
Moderato. cres.. 21 Ktinhhing ght
tt bh om 2 | J
V wl ae en
2a
a 2 ee |®)
My songis everof thee
oo 4 $ % 3 =
SP» ——_#—\"__» i oa 7
1

It is a short song but it is sung with feeling, and without
the piquant anxiety of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, or
the nervous! fluster of the Robin; there is something
tranquil and soothing about it. He sings leisurely ina
tree by the roadside, and waits long enough for an
answer ; in another moment there comes a response from
a neighboring tree, and White-crown number two con-
tinues the love song :

Then number three supplements the two foregoing songs
by a marked variation :

FAMILY Fringillide.

a my . cTes —
Now hill and P pil ure gy
g Suge’ L
<) by — +- ——— a |
| xa Vv | T T
5 p

And again a fourth bird rounds off the tune to some-
thing like its proper proportions.

cres, Soy
aia “a — a — a
Va } } o- ¥
S nee = f . ui
Smile with the Stowers of May.
fy SBE ce
2s See ene: = a

But the birds are not content to let ‘* well enough alone”
and still another fellow puts in his song thus:

é p | isk 2a )
pa Lat
Ah. |
_———_—_— —
d
J qt a, r .
. & : |
® f ("4 “
— bs 2 i 3 - ‘
VY DO 7

to prevent anything which might seem like a finale
For men and musicians may come and go with all their
fine theories about cadences and cadenzas—what does

the little bird know of these !

His one idea is melody—

unrestricted melody such as he is accustomed to hear in
the songs of his associates ; probably he does not suspect
that these have been handed down to them through a

ea ae

Ee tel Sibel NS ite tee Mt we

7, ee.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

long line of ancestors, and that he will in turn hand
down what he has learned to the generations of the
future! Why, therefore, should a finale have any place
in the bird’s song?

The time for a study of the White-crown is short ; he
arrives from the south about the first week in May, and
leaves for the north about two weeks later. He will not
stop short of Labrador when he settles down for the
summer, and we would have to go there to hear his
song at its best.

White-throated This handsomely attired Sparrow is one
epatrew of the most distinguished members of
theagens He vate family. His familiar song is one of the
Zonotrichia :
albicollis best demonstrations of mannerism in the
L.6.zoinches music of a given species which it is possi-
April 25th, or ble to find. When once the song is heard
all the year =

it is never forgotten, and anyone who can
whistle can imitate it. The bird is clad in fine feathers
although these are not of a brilliant type ; his style is
very similar to that of the White-crown, but his color-
ing is much browner. Head striped black and white,
with the white in the centre of the crown and over each
eye narrower than the black ; in front of the eye and at
the bend of the wing there is a patch of lemon yellow ;
back brown, streaked with black and buff ; region over
the tail grayer; tail gray-brown; wing coverts tipped
with white which forms two distinct wing-bars on each
wing ; throat with a large, square, white patch ; breast
brownish gray fading to light white-gray on the under
parts. Female similarly marked. Nest of grasses, root-
lets, and plant fibre, lined with finer material of the same
order: Egg bluish white, evenly and heavily speckled
with various browns. This Sparrow has a broad range

throughout eastern North America as far north as the

fur countries, and breeds from northern Michigan to
Maine (probably including northern Massachusetts) ; it
winters from the latter State to Florida. The bird feeds
upon seeds, berries, and a variety of insects.

The song of the Peabody-bird is remarkable for its
rhythm, and its pure, clear-whistled tones. It would be

FAMILY Fringillide.

easily recognized by one a stranger to it but familiar
with its various syllabic interpretations which are found
in every book on birds. The commonest form of the
song is written: Old Sam Pea-body, Pea-body, Pea-body.*
Another form runs, Sow wheat Fe-ver-ly, Pe-ver-ly, Pe-
ver-ly; and yet another, All day whit-tl-in’, whit-tl-in’,
whit-tl-in’; and still another, Oh hear me, Ther-esa,
Ther-esa, Ther-esa; and again another, All day long
fid-dle-in’, fid-dle-in’, fid-dle-in’. This should be enougk
to impress one with the fact that the White-throat’s
song has a decidedly stereotyped character; but there is
considerable variety in the little fellow’s music, and it
will soon be discovered that these syllables are only in-
dicative of an unvarying rhythm. Of that mechanical
form Mr. Cheney says, ‘‘ The little twelve-toned melody
of this Sparrow is a flash of inspiration—one of those
lucky finds, such as poets have—the charm of which lies
in its rhythm.” Then he, a musician, adds what any
unmusical person might have told us if he had only been
sharp enough to think of it, ‘‘ First come three long
tones of equal length, forming together one half of the
entire song; then three clusters of three short tones,

* In Footing it in Franconia, Mr. Bradford Torre- says, alluding,
to the form of the song—‘ I was relieved to find all the Franconia
White-throated Sparrows introducing their sets of triplets with
two—not three—longer single notes. That was how I had always
whistled the tune; and I had been astonished and grieved to see it
printed in musical notation by Mr. Cheney, and again by Mr,
Chapman, with an introductory measure of three notes, as if it
were to go ‘Old Sam, Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody,’ instead of
as I remembered it, and as reason dictated, ‘Old Sam Peabody
Peabody, Peabody.’ I am not intimating that Mr, Cheney and Mr.
Chapman are wrong, but that my own recollection was right.”
Mr. Torrey is correct as far as he goes, but he does not go quite far
enough. In the height of the nuptial season this Sparrow is very
apt to extend his song, and in the fall season he invariably cuts it
short (for an illustration of this last point, see Mr. Cheney’s Wood
Notes Wild, pg.43). Also birds in different localities sing different
forms of the song. In the southern Green Mountains, I have heard
the three sustained notes distinctly sung; I have also three records
taken in Campton (see my own records), twenty-four miles south of
Franconia ‘‘ as the crow flies.” It is a fact, though, that the com-
monest form of the song is by far that with but two sustained
notes—at least in the White Mountain district.

i i

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

triplets, each cluster being equal to one of the long
tones, and each of the short tones being equal to one
third of one of the long tones.” How plainly a series of
dots illustrates this: . ae
and how equally plain the itythin appears on the musi-
cal staff!

d=76 . , ngs=~twi
, i wanda bre singe—tases Brak, 5
. t 7 2 4
2 i ve rae
F Uv } a )
Old Sam___Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.
mf. cr. es. ° 8 4 ° sf is vt
j ‘ ; : £ _:
e . : . ye
° } | i j
ri [®) i ri . 2 j
a we z

This song embraces an interval of a fifth; here is an-
other which includes one of only a major third:

Moderato. PS he te a |

e-
I |
#6 | t | -:
tA) 9 UJ |" os
Se {eo}
The bird sings Sow wheat, Peverly, Peverly, Peverly.
twice 8ya. - f°
Sse fe sae
| A
[e] a : } iH LJ
_and here is yet another confined to a fourth:
— a
Shenae: See ee see
a SS a NS a
Aye ot
“eae

(The bird sings two octaves heher)

This is one of the commonest forms of melody which is
employed by all composers. It occurs, in the opéning
bar of the love-song sung by Turiddu before the curtain
rises in Cavalleria Rusticana:

3 97

FAMILY Fringillide.

‘ my.
Anaante mf , = | So a aa Pal
or MM AEE ATK GS
Jj SE! AE a i i i
oO ’ U — LU L i | i | i
NY om i x

Y Oh! Lola!than the hawthorn blossom JOE, oo 20s

The similarity of this air to that which the White-throat
sings is at once apparent. Another song with the inter-
val of a fourth, which a bird gave me in the White
Mountains, is strongly reminiscent of the Di Provenza
from Verdi’s Traviata ; this is what the bird sang:

(The bird sings three octaves higher, ending on highestC)

J). Vic @. . EARS SS = = 4 =
aa TE : : oe zm i
i }
~ 1 U Et Wl © i BT ae | eS

\Di Pro-ven--za-a-a !

and these are the first bars of the simple but beautiful
melody from the opera: ;

$f ete
a= Fr i ul
ee
/ Di Provenza il mar il suol

Certainly the resemblance between the two songs is
striking. Occasionally White-throat attempts a high
pitch which he is unable to sustain, and then we hear
him drop down the scale by easy steps like a musical.
sigh, thus:

FS Threa times 8va. ? dim.

L a i a .
Le) a ee @- a ee . Pa ee .
ws ] i! je | t Ew :

i
4 All day long whittlin’ whittlin? whittlin’

,
v

The tones of voice here express as much discouragement
as the words which accompany them imply. There isa
sort of ‘* Heigh ho, fiddle-de-dee!” character to the music
which makes one think the little bird looks upon life and
itscaresasatoughproblem! Thatis not unlike the pessi-
mistic sentiments expressed by Carmen when she ap-
pears in the first act of the Operaand sings that loveisa /
wilful wild bird with whom it is dangerous to have any
98

’

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

dealings, and advises her admirers to let him alone!
The music expresses all the discouragement which is
embodied in the White-throat’s song; observe how the
tones drop down the chromatic scale in precisely the
same way.

onAllegretto. — 7% a8 Se “3 dim.
im ia.’

A
+_/ 7] son oo y

Ah! love thouarta wilful "ld bird fad none may hope thy wngsto

] — TS Be et TE Fac
Y % 3a wed,

There is always that attractiveness of novelty in this
Sparrow’s music which enlists one’s curiosity; the little
fellow sings Carmen’s song in Tuckerman’s Ravine un-
der the shadow of Mt. Washington, Turiddu’s song
under the brow of Mt. Tecumseh, and the Di Provenza
from Traviata, in the Pemigewasset Valley. The ques-
tion arises, what will he do next, somewhere else? Possi-
bly he will choose still another interval for his whistle
and advise that farmer ‘‘ Peverly ” to sow rye/ In every
instance, however, he will not depart from his own pre-
conceived ideas of rhythm, which may or may not ex-
actly correspond with some operatic air which has stuck
in our own head. In the History of North American
Birds, by Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, I find this:
‘‘ Notwithstanding the slighting manner in which the
song of this bird is spoken of by some writers, in certain
parts of the country its clear, prolonged, and peculiar
whistle has given it quite a local fame and popularity.
Among the White Mountains, where it breeds abun-
dantly, it is known as the Peabody-bird, and its remark-
ably clear whistle resounds in all their glens and secluded
recesses.” Thatisagood summary of the popular esteem
in which this bird is held. Dr. M. L. Leach has written
an interesting account of the song of the White-throated
Sparrow, in the course of which he says (alluding to the
form already given in my records), ‘‘ The arrangement

‘

FAMILY Fringillide.

of musical sounds indicated . . . appears to consti-
tute the most perfect and complete form of the song.

but it is varied in different localities and by different per-
formers, as if among birds of the same species there
were different degrees of musical talent” (that is true,
his surmise is correct) ‘‘ and different fashions in musi-
cal education. In one place, where I had excellent
opportunities to listen, the last three measures were sel-
dom heard, or when heard, consisted each of a half-
note. Of the first three half-notes, one or the other
is sometimes omitted.” Evidently Dr. Leach did not
take into account the immature bird which sings the im-
mature song—for we must not forget that every youth-
ful bird has his lesson to learn, and it is learned more or
less perfectly,—and the season of the year which has
everything to do with the form of the song. In Septem-
ber and October, the bird pipes up again, but he rarely if
ever finishes his song; also at this time there is a new
singer or two just making his first essay at music.
Again it has been my frequent experience that the song
of the White-throat heard at a distance sounds this

way:

Imes ,8va: P 1 i
wa i it i
FO a) . .
ry @ —#
YY Vv @ * * P -
/ 3 Oh hear = =ome dear. ..ie!

the last three triplets being merged each into one tremu-
lous but sustained tone. Also I have heard the bird sing
within eight feet of my head and noticed an immensely
high squeaky grace-note which introduced each group
of triplets thus:

Tiree timesBva., Df 2

iT Pn eee a, —

-~ * . - >

~
a
te)

. > “i

P re tt ttt ee or

h ‘hear me Theresa,’ Theresa, heresa,” Theresa.
This bird evidentl stuttered! “ent oh
.- &. Sx . —~$:

—
(2)
a
=

100

CHIPPING SPARROW

But it is well to note that none of these variations affects
his unalterable rhythm.

White-throat is a perfect little curiosity-box! I have
never yet failed to call him from a considerable distance,
by imitating his song. In more than one instance it has
been possible by this means to draw a dozen or more
birds about me, all of whom were devoured with curi-
osity to find out why such a great hulking, wingless
bird should be familiar with their own language! One
could whistle all day to an Oriole, and it is doubtful
whether he would pay the slightest attention.

Chipping This common little Sparrow is esteemed
aig more for his social disposition than his
3 te wf talent as a musician. As for his music, it
socialis scarcely deserves the name; it is too strid-

L.5.35inches ulent and monotonous to deserve atten-
April 20th tion. In appearance, too, the bird is
very ordinary. Forehead black; crown chestnut red;
back of the neck streaked with black; a conspicuous
gray line runs over and back of the eye with a black line
above and back of it; bill dark sepia; back striped with
black, ruddy brown, and ochre; region above the tail
gray; under parts ashen gray, the throat lighter; wing-
bars very indistinct, the wings marked like the back.
Female similarly colored. Nest of grasses, fine twigs,
and rootlets, lined with numerous long hairs, and situ-
ated from five to six feet above the ground (sometimes
nearly twenty) in a tree or bush, and quite often in
an apple-tree. Egg blue-green, freckled with chestnut
red and sepia. The range of this species is throughout
eastern North America, and as far north as Great Slave
Lake. It breeds throughout its range, and winters in
the Gulf States and Mexico. Fully one third of its food
consists of (injurious) insects, including many beetles
and grasshoppers; the rest consists almost exclusively
of seeds. .
Chippy’s song is pitched extremely high—somewhere
in the octave just beyond highest C—so of musical tone
it must be admitted he possesses very little or none at
all. Undoubtedly most listeners would pronounce it a

tol

FAMILY Fringillide.

monotonous trill, but as a matter of fact it is nothing of
the kind! Chippy’s tones may be monotonous, but they
are not trilled. The bird simply reiterates with consid-
erable rapidity one tone, thus:

d =160 eres. Three times 8va. & off the keyboard!
o- al

A trill is distinctly a rapid alternation of two separate
tones, and there is not a suspicion of that in the Chippy’s
song. On the contrary, it has not even the suppressed
introductory grace-note of the noisy Flicker’s monoto-
nous performance! Yet Dr. Coues says of the bird—
‘* He has at times a song quite different from the sharp,
monotonous trill so characteristic of springtime.” Now,
we need not question the varied conditions of so limited
a performance; they exist, but they are worth neither
attention nor record. They simply consist of a.series of
rhythmic interruptions, like this:

Three times 8va.

rth 2. 2 2.

Ps e

The “trill,” however, is a musical term employed with-
out a full knowledge of its significance. Mr. Cheney,
after quoting Dr. Coues’s description of the song, re-
marks, ‘‘ Without doubt he has” a different song, ‘* but
the monotonous ‘ trill’ being a succession of rapid tones
upon the same degree, can hardly be called a trill.”
That is a musician’s verdict! Other authors make the
same error in describing the song. Mr. J. B. Grant
says—‘‘ His note is a trill of considerable duration, sug-
gestive of the sound of the cicada.”

The Chipping Sparrow has a most friendly nature and
not infrequently he hops within the bounds of the door-
sill for any proffered bread crumbs or other food. His
nest is quite often lodged in the vines of the piazza
trellis, and it is a common thing for him to awake in

102

Field Sparrow Chipping Sparrow
(above) (below)

FIELD SPARROW.

the middle of the night and give voice to a few rapid
measures, which comes to one’s ears—to use Nuttall’s
expression—like the reverie of a dream. But it is a
habit of many birds, especially the Sparrows, to sing in
the night.

Field Sparrow This familiar bird of the rugged pasture

tir ag or fen is wrongly named; he is not really
L.5.ssinches 2 Field Sparrow. He may frequent an
May rst old worn-out field, but the cultivated

one is not his choice. He likes a spot more or less
overgrown with weeds and bushes, and from thence
usually comes his rather plaintive song. His appear-
ance is not a distinguished one. Head decidedly red-
brown with a gray line over the eye; sides of face, back
of the neck, and the throat ashen gray; back ruddy
brown streaked with black and light brownish gray;
. rump ash gray; two small whitish wing-bars on each
wing; lower parts white washed with buff or ochre; buff
on the breast and sides; bill conspicuously flesh-color of
a ruddy tone; it is one of the best marks for the bird’s
identification. The nest ison the ground or in a low
bush and is similar to that of the Song Sparrow. The
egg is white-blue strongly marked at the larger end with
cinnamon or sepia brown. This species breeds from

. South Carolina and southern Kansas northward.

The Field Sparrow isa gentle little creature whose
unsophisticated character and expressive song have won
for him a high place in the estimation of all bird-lovers.
Only Wilson seems to have failed in properly understand-
ing the bird, for he writes, ‘‘ It is more frequently found
_ in the middle of fields and orchards than any of the
other species, which usually lurk along hedgerows. It
has no song, but a kind of chirruping not much differ-
ent from the chirpings of a cricket.” Now the last
place to which I should go for the study of this Sparrow
would be the meadow or the orchard, and I certainly
should not think of comparing his song with the chirp-
ing of a cricket! Experience and opinion apparently
differ not a little, for my best opportunity of hearing
many Field Sparrows singing together has always been

103

FAMILY Fringillidz.

on the rugged ground of the Middlesex Fells, near Bos-
ton, and anyone with a knowledge of music would un-
questionably pronounce the song of this species one of
the best melodic demonstrations of a combined acceler-
ando and crescendo which an exacting ear could de-
mand. Minot seems to have held a good opinion of the
song, for he saysit opens with ‘‘a few exquisitely modu-
lated whistles, each higher and a little louder than the
preceding, and closes with a sweet trill. But a musi-
cian’s opinion is nearer to the truth, and we cannot im-
prove on the following one by Mr. Cheney, who writes,
‘*Scarcely anything in rhythmics and dynamics is more
difficult than to give a perfect accelerando and crescendo :
and the use of the chromatic scale by which the Field
Sparrow rises in his lyric flight involves the very pith
of melodic ability. This little musician has explored the
whole realm of sound, and condensed its beauties in per-
fection into one short song.” Minot’s description of the
music (as has already been pointed out by Mr. Cheney)
is not quite correct; there are no modulations of the
opening ‘‘ whistles,” they are all on the same pitca ; and
only the middle tones rise or fall, as the case may be,
progressing to a final so-called trill, thus:

@=108

nlranquillo, Accelerando et crescendo.
t 1
is
- Coe
Nel-l~1-t-l- ylylyly-ly Bly-yyyyyyy

in this very common song, which is confined to the nar-
row compass of a minor third, the tones ascend, and are
an amusing elaboration of the three opening notes of
the old melody Nellie Ply! In another song almost as
familiar the little singer reverses the order and descends
the scale :

Tranquillo. Accelerando et crescendo.
y eae GA A A a ee a ee ee ee

104

EEE EEE es

a ve PO yg OT OL, eae emt

FIELD SPARROW.

and in still another he proceeds on the diatonic instead of
the chromatic scale, thus:

A rR AGT a

Tranquillo, . _ Accel. et cres.
A I i WRB ex wee: tee |
"a i 1 I 1 kL ‘s oo a :« ia . " ,
r
LY a’ TOR ae %
J A a I os 12 a
e é .
; | | L
~ bz = e :
ve
e
ee? Accel. et cres.
mS . —<—_———
i= Y, : 5 eo >
nr" _A é -
S ——— a. Tt
“This is reminiseent o noe seer

Sh, che a me perdony.” in Mortha.
eter td
ll as A | 1 |

i + be t =
ia :
J e

and reminds us of the pneu notes of the chorus in
Murtha, beginning,

E arghetto. ] i“ 14 “1 a Se S a ~,
1@ | { ere + ae,
! etc.
P eres. S

;— —_—as

Noris this all the Field Sparrow cando. He frequently
gives us a perfect example of what the music teacher
would call the acciaccatura,* a succession of grace
notes, thus :

J = 104,

Tranquillo. Accel. et cres..
‘ ss _. + 7— ha 7
h 71 o\,
TA \¥
— a a: =
\ ‘ : i iL. i i i i

* Pronounced at-tchack-a-too-ra.
105

FAMILY Fringillide,

He is by no means confined to a half-tone grace-note
either, nor is he unmindful of a certain pleasing variety
in tones, as the following will show :

he These notes were
Trangyillo, Accel, _ et cres. an unquestionable trill.
ana ae
oe

This is a bit I got on June 11th, in a pasture of Campton
and the next came from the same place on July 24th.

niwice Bva. Accel. et cres.

LV : a. a. rae a. r rn Pom

Le. ,
St ae Ei 8 WH of | ul
| ae | i 4 .
ae,

Again, the little musician once in a while attempts a
sustained tone and then proceeds with his customary
accelerando on a lower tone, thus:

P OF nnn
Juul Feerepvepee 3
JE WE ES a oO
aa ae Ls |
4 J
SZ Sy ‘
Accel. et ‘cres.
2.
| } o- ;
rr . Fat _ 4
A ro ee A o- =

The variety of tones may be very considerable, but
there is absolutely no exception to the rule that the time
is accelerated and the volume of sound increased as the
song proceeds; only occasionallythe song is doubled thus:

» Chinn OF nnn
epee creek seers

N
pi)

Accel. et cres.dim. RHeecel.et cres.

ys
_ t :
4s

14)

106

He)

Oe ——

Rpt rye >

ee rey ee eee eee

aes ca

FIELD SPARROW.

Mr. Chapman recognizes the fact that the song has many
variations besides possessing the rare beauty of perfect
sweetness, and his opinion is well worth quoting. ‘‘ His
song is in keeping with his character, being an unusually
clear, plaintive whistle, sweeter to the lover of birds’
songs than the voice of the most gifted songstress” (one
can not quite agree with that who has heard the great
artist Marcella Sembrich sing!) ‘‘ Not only do the same
individuals sing several different songs, but two indi-
viduals in the same locality rarely sing alike. There is
also much variation in the songs of birds from different
regions . . . . to be convinced of its” (the song’s)
‘‘rare beauty one need only hear it as the sun goes
down and the hush of early evening is quieting the
earth.” That is so well said that I need add nothing
further except the suggestion that the Field Sparrow is
certainly Nature’s best exponentof the principle of Plain-
Song, i. e. the Chant. One need not for a moment sup-
pose itis necessary to have a wide range of voice and sing
a catching tune to creditably produce a song. No, music
is the artistic expression of thought and character, and
for that reason and none other the pathetic monotones
of the Field Sparrow charm us; we do not care whether
he sings a tune or not, he may keep straight along on one
note * or not as he chooses, we are satisfied to know that
he sings with a depth of expression unsurpassed by any
of Nature’s greatest songsters. There is a certain rever-
ential character to his song, too, which is reminiscent of
one of the Psalms of David chanted by the church choir,
but it needs a slight alteration to express the sentiment
of the Sparrow :

O be joyful in the Lord all day long,
And come before his presence with a song.

When the shadows lengthen into irregular blotches of
misty lilac on the slopes of the stony pasture and the
light has turned golden in the west, somewhere in the
tangle of blackberry briers not far away there is a
modest singer filling the silent air with the sober mono-

* Mr. Bradford Torrey in his Birds in the Bush thinks that he
does; see page 40 of that delightful little book,

107

FAMILY Fringillidex.

tones of a vesper hymn. It is the Field Sparrow, and
possibly he is singing—who shall say that he is not?

** Softly now the light of day
Fades upon my sight away.”

Junco The Junco is a winter visitor who prolongs
Snowbird his stay in the White Mountain district
Junco hyemalis

L.6.25inches Until the end of spring. He may be
October ist to seen on Mt. Washington on the first of
May 20th September, and in Campton as late as the
end of May. He is a bird of stylish appearance and
good form. Head, neck, and back Payne’s gray, or a
deep bluish slate-gray ; this color extends over the chest ;
below it there is a clear white ; the sides are grayish;
there are no wing-bars ; tail a gray-brown, the two outer
feathers white like those of the Vesper Sparrow, and the
adjoining feathers partly white. Female similarly col-
ored but lighterin tone. Nest of grasses, moss, and root-
lets, loosely interwoven, and placed on the ground (or
near it) in some brushwood or upturned tree-roots. Egg
white, speckled with madder or red-brown, The range
of this bird is from northern New York and New Eng-
land northward, and southward along the Alleghany
Mountains to Virginia. It winters throughout the east-
ern United States, as far southward as Georgia and
possibly the Gulf States.

The Junco’s song is a metallic or glass-like tinkle. His
is a performance similar to that of the Chippy, but decided-
ly more musical, a voice with a sweet, clear tone rippling
along in interrupted trills—not the warble which some
authors claim—confined to an interval of a minor second
or a minor third:

Pivare THMCC: GIA... iecech piguics sbaladanss rasaeeleniae

et y
A or a A HE
torr agen Pir Oe ear ae ae eee Fe
A el a hel hdl el hl lal
J . . ~ 4 4 4 .
Minor Second Minor Third.

His call is a short, sharp tsip. He flies south as the
winter arrives, not to escape its cold winds and driving
snows, but to secure food. The Junco is eminently social,
always flying in flocks and seldom separating into small

108

SONG SPARROW.

‘groups of three or four; they have a special liking for
the roadside. Mr, Ned Dearborn reports having seen
three “‘sports” of this species, all similar, having heads
and necks partly white.

Song Sparrow The Song Sparrow is the flower of his
Melospiza family, a musician of exceptional ability,
cineria melodia
L. 6.35 inches #024 the possessor of a character remark-
'Allthe year able for its cheerfulness under all con-
ditions of weather. But in appearance he is one who
could never take the prize in a Bird Show! It is
true his spots betoken a ‘“ marked” appearance, but
the marks are not distinguished ones; his qualities sur-
pass his charms. Head ruddy brown with a sugges-
tion of a median gray line; the region of ihe eye gray
tinged with brown; a red-brown line behind the eye;
back light brown streaked with darker brown; sides of
_ the light gray throat marked with a chain of blackish
or dark brown spots; no wing-bars; breast spotted with
wedge-shaped streaks of sepia and red-brown some of
which are confluent in the central region forming a dis-
tinct dark blotch; under parts almost white. The sexes
are similarly marked. The loosely built nest is formed
of dried rootlets and leaves, shreds of bark, coarse
grasses, and sometimes hair; within it is lined with
similar but softer material; it is usually found on the
ground, or sometimes low down ina bush. The egg is
_ blue-white and generously splashed with brown. This

Sparrow is common everywhere and breeds from Vir-

ginia northward. ,

Mr. Chapman sums up the estimable qualities of the
interesting, cheery little songster as follows: “its readi-
ness to adapt itself to the different conditions in each
of the regions it inhabits, its numerical abundance
and steady increase while some of its family are dying

_ out, its freedom from disease and vermin, and its peren-
nial good spirits evidenced by its never-failing music—
_all proclaim that it is indeed one of Nature’s successes.”
_ That is an ornithologist’s estimate of this greatly favored
Sparrow, and certainly we ought to be very grateful for
the facts, as this is the bird that sings best of all—sings

109

a 2

FAMILY Fringillide.

under all conditions of weather, at all times of the day
(and sometimes at night), in every month of the year,
and with the cleverest understanding of melody, He
is also one of the very few birds who is able to sing
half a dozen songs each of which is constructively dif-
ferent from the other. The Thrushes are far more gifted
musicians, but they lack the versatility of the Song
Sparrow.

As a general rule the little fellow comes to us in
March, and leaves about the first of November, but
there are many individuals which stay all the year
around. He is not quite as sociable as the Chipping
Sparrow, for he makes his home on the meadow that
slopes toward the river rather than in the shrubbery
that lines the roadside; nevertheless he is one of the
most frequent visitors of the spreading lawns that sur-
round our country homes, and he is a familiar occupant
of every bush that is planted in the neighborhood.

Presumably every one knows his call-note—a metallic
chip; but through sheer multiplicity of motive, I sus-
pect his song is not always distinguished with perfect
certainty, especially as it oftem.develops a distinctly
local character. For instance, the Song Sparrows of —
Nantucket apparently sing with higher-pitched voices,
more overtones, and less regard for the usual accented
opening notes, than do those of the White Mountain
region. The birds about New York, on the other hand, ~
accent the first few notes and then often ripple along in
canarylike trills. But Ido not regard these differences
as permanent; the fundamental character of the music
is never changed, it is apparent in a series of accented,
sustained tones (generally three) at the beginning, the ©
middle, or the end of the song, but usually at the begin- —
ning, a rapid succession of about six notes—or better, a —
tone interrupted a number of times, a group of tones —
separaved by well-preserved intervals, and the contrast- —
ive coloring here and there of a distinct overtone. Ti
signs represent but one form: — ——-.—.. ‘
(see the notation with words ‘‘ Welcome to Campton’ 8,5
etc.). It is evident, therefore, that mechanical rhythm |
in the case of this bird’s song is no strong factor in

I1o

* a : naga Lig

ee ee

SONG SPARROW.

identification, it is too variable to be depended upon.
One song is likely to be in two-four and another in
three-four time, and the listener is compelled, rather, to
listen to those striking mannerisms of the singer, which
will none the less surely reveal his identity.

Now the style of the Song Sparrow is unmistakably
evident, he devotes himself to pure, simple melody, and
is in consequence the best exponent of the- song motive
among all the members of the feathered tribe. The
Oriole may sometimes equal, but he can never excel him
in this respect; moreover, the Oriole lacks versatility.
It is short work to make such a statement, but it takes
a month’s study of the Song Sparrow to establish the
fact beyond peradventure and produce a sufficient num-
ber of incontestable proofs. Here is the song of a bird
who, like the rest of his tribe, knows all about the dotted

note which adds half again to its value:

Here the bird sang octaves es Mugrert

Vivace aS ee
sae Oe
pao - ae
F > bl RL In] j i
ae e* a?
> i
Fitz! fitz! fitz! wee sir-wee sir-wits wits!
These first three notes
were beyond the keyboard =
A cr? al
5 mas 0 ===
2 ‘ v .
a7 a : ;

The records that foitow are also yitched in the same highest ottave.

There are swing and accent to these few tones which
perfectly express an exultant feeling, something akin to
that so eloquently given in the first bars of sm jue a 8
Love Song in the Nibelungen Lied:

To be sure I enlarge the musical significance of the

Sparrow’s song-by setting it to a piano accompaniment,
IIr

PAMILY Fringillidz.

but I question whether it is possible to recognize
the value of the melody without the setting. Notice
how much of the expression is dependent upon those
accented first notes, and how the mannerism distin-
guishes the singer, for nearly every Song Sparrow one
hears seems to stand by the rule! It is unnecessary to
produce a miscellaneous selection of this bird’s music to
prove that his ideas of melody are unlimited, anybody
with a keen ear will discover that fact after a day in his
company. What is more interesting is his versatility in
handling a motive. A few seasons ago I was greeted
in my summer home by the following:

9 =138 ; ‘ats
Moderato. BBP we : Pe
ft bra ERE AA EER Nes t
V « 5» * . = 1 Z. a
' ‘I 1
yz

¥
Welcome to Campton, tra-la-la-la-lata lay.
ee ro | i 4 { i | |
1) a ee | Ps ¢ ——
id
7 2 : =>
The little fellow showed unusual talent, and this bit

seemed decidedly melodic. I waited for more; it came
next in-this form:

dal6 33 %

Vivace. - er al ae 2 o- 2--
a | + a —s
bo at

Welcome to Campton’ flowring meadows gay.

caer ererics

Ti2

a oe

Song Sparrow. Song variations of four individuals.

Records taken at El Fureidis, Blair, NH, July,19/5
The four birds are indicated hy A-B-C-D.

A Thrice 8va. C Thrice 8va. w
ee . we | >> N
ES AG eet we
ES ET SM A a OE
-| Pee eres + of dade
ae as . 3 — bl
.
B Thrice 8va-. A Thrice Bva.
ae a 2 fof at
Di, j fT | f J ft gue Fry |
Mia awe. S|
‘a Wome reir)
. o—é
| suv . a
A Thrice ava A Twice va
re > >
LT \
Zi@eiisiii| g \
n a | ~~
J “ia gaa a
B Twice 8va. B gTwice 8va. —*
NN igeeeee — \ #rerrr»
ifgttstttitt SS FS Se t
oe YY 2 ee ee ee Y JM ee ese Pe a | £
aS ia T ee
md AN
43 T
Twice § va
C Thrice éva Cc: ;
fs vw 4 “ffft p-. f p
Di | Sa | 1 ey 3S ej nN
OE el a it | ' i of ad
YDn I ae eee i J i
. Vg. @999e i
Py. "Gi ; , F
od be withyou till wemeeta—
D re D
Twice 8va 4 >Twice 8va
> : pe + 25: ai A is
2g re er iN
hi #@£ eee |
4225 (SR Ca i
FEA

These 12 songs are the positive evidence of 2 local style. No
single individuals song is repeated after the fourth season,
thus showing the length of the birds life to be approximately
jour ta five years. Most of these birds returned to the same
nesting site or within five miles of it. Csang three seasons.

113

FAMILY Fringillide.

Then I decided the incident was closed; but no, another
day I got this:

@ = 135 ee
Vivace. re re 72 v7) 7
|

5
v i i | ey j
TAS 7 J ? r. & i
YZ
PA
} ‘ 1
p y eo) <——}
J Sa Sj
; a) wee” ‘

and finally that same day a second form of the first
motive suggested that the tune would never end!

¢=1% > > Se Pe Pe.
ene fee ee
/

Ben marcato,| . Ff

Se en ee
=

There was no doubt about all this coming from a single
individual; I had my eye on him, and kept track of all
his movements. The variations of a single motive in
song are very subtle, and we usually fail to discover the
ingenuity of the composer who constructs an extensive
melody of but one or two simple motives. This is per-
fectly illustrated in the Di Provenza from Verdi’s
Traviata. (See previous page.)

It is a network of repetitions throughout; remove the
first motive with its variations and the aria is pretty
nearly all gone! A similar illustration serves us in “‘ La
Donna é mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto. (See page 115.)
Remove the first, third, and ninth bars and nothing is
left but their variations and the closing bar! Strangely

114

A DONNA FE MOBILE’-RIGOLETTO

4 J Ong Sparrow sang stave2 with his own additions!
Heed 2 as eee (ay Verdi)
eee All below on this
ee ee A | side is repetition!
La donna é mobile, 2&6
aminor thizd(— >
: drop here. a
i oy
3&7 « Qual pruma al vento} etc.
—________ d majorthird
ou of . drop here
J "VAP
d whole tone |
drop here. 7 4&8 - Da capo.
NN
. <4 r =
9 Se Ee”
ot es a minor third”
~ 7 = drop here.
+
if
@ whole tone 10
rise here. :
“1
d. ; < =
yor Vv
1] a semitone
O42 2-4 : “ty $ rise here.
ar
A
12 a Jine.
a
aye ——— =
y+

This familiar melody 1s a fabric of repetitions,
Staves 1&5 ete.are identical; stave ] differs only
slightly from stave 2; stave 3 only slightly from
stave 4; staves 1to4 are simply repeated; stave
9 differs onty slightly from stave 10, and stave
/1 is not essentially different from either; stave
_ 12 merely finishing the tune, resembles the others}

ris

FAMILY Fringillide.

enough, too, this last melody begins with three accented
notes in a way remarkably like the Sparrow’s song; in-
deed, on one occasion I heard the second bar given note
for note exactly as it occurs in Verdi’s tune, but the
little bird had tacked on a finale or cadenza all his own:

> a * wwe att p- e- ‘
L

p> incl 7 ws
P
A suggestion of Rigoletto.

He had a mind above such a commonplace thing as an
operatic score! But we have not yet measured the scope
or the character of the little musician’s repertoire. He
has the ability to render a motive in both the major and
the minor keys, just exactly as Verdi has done in the
ninth and eleventh bars of the Di Provenza (be sure
to read them). I had grown quite familiar with a bit of
melody coming from a bird nesting near my boat-land-
ing on the river, which ran thus:

> a) “A adel
reunn&& PPPPR., . 9 Fo

YU 2 a [seer eee meee | | ee |
iy 4 ae

ra
(I must admit the words in the arrangements which fol-
low are drawn from the imagination.) But before long
there came a day when the sun refused to shine, and the
clouds hung dull and gray over the river meadow. I
was at work on the piazza next my studio listening, as
usual, to the sparrows, when a pathetic strain caught my
ear from the direction of the boat-landing; it was the
same familiar melody, but strangely enough rendered in
the minor key. Whatdid that mean? Was it the same
bird or another? I dropped my paint-brush, seized my
opera-glass, and ran down on the meadow to investigate.
Yes, there was the bird in his customary position on the
top twig of the bush next * to the one in which his mate
had built a nest not far from the ground. Then I
looked for the nest; it was there, too, but there was no
mate. ‘* Ah-ha!” I said to myself, ‘‘a case of domestic

* He wisely refrained from singing in the same bush which con-
tained the nest, for that might lead to discovery,

116

me”

wee
a

i}:
3

SONG SPARROW.

infelicity ”; so when the little fellow wiped his bill on
the twig, and sang again the doleful strain, I fitted, in
imagination, these words to it:

om
tdorato® ee, be et é rasa
vam j ee AS | A
; : ee | aD Meee TE
3 Thea 1 if 4
tyr .

Wail, wall, fickle wife isshe, Flown dnay and left me!

Pa ss er. 8
TAY PA
<—

then, taking my cue from another singer, I whistled
a reply as follows,

== =}

4
= PS <a.
'

—_ =
Tied, sad, what atale She may aes tomorrow,
Of sorrow!
fa’ —
a? rd ao ae
/ G

and went back to my neglected paint-brush; and sure
enough on the following day, which dawned bright and
clear, up from the meadow came the happier strain in
the major key, with the welcome news,—
>> pri
e ="
ott +

Vo
tax?- (Sa git ad acme se
a

True, true, very trae you see, Shes comeagain to lve with me.

| SS a ers
SS

117

he:

=
'

/ FAMILY Fringillide.

So I knew everything was all right down there and did
not take the trouble to go and see! Nonsense,—all this,
every one will of course say! But what about that melody
in both the major and minor keys! That remains a re-
markable fact. Again, how another little bird gave me
a fragment of a Chopinlike mazourka, is worth the tell- ©
ing. The motive was suggestive of something more
which I never got; it ran thus:

¢= 138 -—
spoerate, £ af 3s ee Ske
Py ” =

Rup-it ‘rup-it rup-it, spits wig a gee!
NV.B. Do not mind the s lables, they are not more nonsenstheal

A+ than those emp oyed bi the age for — fy

wide i iad ?

‘ SSS

and that was very aggravating, for it should have been
rounded off thus;

: Ast ending 2nd. ending
3ze & ’
“*~ e c 2 os + Sa
| i = q
af * wily
et ee |
¥ oe ae vi u
a

complete: melody will sound better; though less birdlike,
of ple ed an octave lower, | ; :
ral
vi

a n oe : — =

i i + |

SR RR

But it never was rounded off, so I had to accept the fact

that even the Song Sparrow does not always know how
to finish a thing.

There is a very good story told of Beethoven, I believe,
which illustrates, in an amusing way, the annoyance ofa
‘* tie-up” in music. The good old master had gone to
bed and was tossing restlessly on his pillow, because his
nephew Carl, downstairs, was repeatedly practising what
a musician would call a harmony in suspension ; some-
thing which goes like this:

118

SONG SPARROW.

f) Sempre legato. __ oe .2 ee
a 2 SPI ot La

After a while poor Beethoven, who could not stand that
sort of thing indefinitely, shouted down to his pupil,
“‘ Carl, give us the resolution.” But Carl misunderstood
the command, thought he was told to stop, and went to
bed leaving the tones ‘‘ hung up.” That was beyond en-
durance, so Beethoven arose, hurried into his dressing-
gown, ran down to the piano, struck a modulation or
two, and landed fortissimo on the proper key, thus:

a P )

mr = aA

pore 4 Gq te

a
= pp sa
eo ao ae S
Thatsettled it, hecould now goto bed and sleep peacefully!

This suspension or incompletion of a musical idea is
what we are always regretfully discovering in a bird’s
song, and the attempt to find a finish anywhere usually
results in failure unless we piece two tunes together.
The little songster’s conception of music is limited to the
abstract. What should he know about a finish? His
song is an overflow of good spirits, and you must chop
off his head if you seek a finale. His song is simply
a bit of untrammelled self-expression that goes on like
Tennyson’s brook, notwithstanding human rules about
‘*resolutions ” and “finales.” But it is a fact that the

Song Sparrow is often an exception to the rule; he is a
II9

PAMILY Fringillide.

bird of parts, and the songster above all others most
likely to end his tune upon the tonic. Here are three
striking proofs (all from one individual) of his ability in
this direction:

4= 138

Con precisione > >

4
YR
rT]
sa
ah te
KT.
; he
Thee P
*]

}—t f

y “A |Z

No.1 . ¥
ii

A Sy)
EAE
Why not go on?
Mo ppp eee «o F »
2s.
wr
“The No.1 motive — is so good, one wishes the bird had continued
No2 < way; BUT HE DID NOT!
CYA j
hii 2 : }
4 Fr —
v a
¢ = 138
GN
freee eg ta ae
17.6 FHT? | oh ol —_—
a eS {a Bee 2 ° 2 | ae
a, Se j Pi Se | }
ae 1 7
/ 1
mf
fa’ i 4
‘a i" i 4 ;
ee } i | i -
D n ]
oe Pl Dasa |
[7a :
32126 3 4 -:
= oN
Moderato. >» ce; >) faeese ie ‘
em mu Ge? Pane -
i= | Eo: 2 « a ae i a yr =
Tay" Pat BacART vr =e
VIZ Ld U T T
“ Wertz, wertz, werlz, weet-weet-weet-weet spee-ge-wee-ge-dee;

-weet-weet,

bo +* oa i=

A\" p47 O bt a. aT

Le aa : = Ld
7

120

SONG SPARROW,

All of these are somewhat reminiscent of the winding of
a hunter’s horn. But the next song, with a mazourka-
like measure, does not end with the tonic and conse-
quently leaves us with the impression that something
must be added. I supplied the deficiency:

a
Toderato ve 2:

“>> # ‘ me
ime CP PeES 48:6. to
4 a | ¥ ‘ S ———
7 om, cres ; but my own

; added. Sigale
| $ ee
; ace nee Ae. t
3 t i . 1 . | WAL
“s a o e

The bird that sang this melody, however, had his own
ideas about the tune, and it appears my addition was
remature, for after a few days’ acquaintance with him I

eard him sing this,
oN
ra a -.
= og eH
|

oo
ao

22 fereee

sala
LN

24 form, : y

T 1 T T id L
AJ a "

hdl

which was certainly a continuation of the theme. That
being the case I listened for more; the wait was no longer
than the greater part of the morning, when to my sur-
prise he suddenly abandoned both familiar forms and
switched off on a new one which, musically speaking,

Not the birdS
Us ee eee

** landed ”’ nowhere!
oo
ye a

pf EF

nid }

me. }

Nia
374 ‘ form. es

| |

FAMILY Fringillide.

Here was a case of suspension indeed, and as the problem
seemed too difficult for either the bird or me to solve, I
concluded to place it in this book with the hope that it
might meet the eye of a musician who would piece the
fragments together and arrive at some logical conclu-
sion. For aught I know to the contrary that bird tc
this very day may be trying every possible key in a vain
search fora finale! But the Song Sparrow is not always
unsatisfying in the matter of a conclusion, for here is a
double record obtained from a-little fellow who knew
how to supplement a really beautiful theme with an-
other similar one which brought it to a most satisfactory
end:

A.
——

7 g "
But it would not be appropriate for me to close my
records of this delightful songster with a finished tune.
It is logical therefore to return to the melody in suspen-
sion, and add the two following brilliant songs, both of
which came from a bird in the Arnold Arboretum, near

122

SONG SPARROW.

Boston, not less than two hundred miles away from the
other singers whose music is recorded above.

Moderato, ww ~ fe 2
(ia eee pA ee
Oe we | — |) i 2d | ~
a) FOREN ES ee r u i
F e 7

f accel,

: Aw
$a ww iy P ae
? Sa a A J
7 a ¢ -—y
. mf accel !
3 | | | I -. §
}#5 al [ t SE
A_= tare | : | nd 1)
Ii\A 8 o ¢ <¥

Mr. Torrey, in that delightful little volume entitled
Footing it in Franconia, makes a comparison of the
music of the Song and Vesper Sparrows as follows:
** Now a Song Sparrow breaks out in his breezy, charac-
teristically abrupt manner. He is a bird with fine gifts
of cheeriness and versatility; but when he sets himself
against the Vesper, as now, it is like prose against poetry,
plain talk against music. So it seems to me at this mo-
ment, I mean to say. At another time, in another
mood, I might tone down the comparison, though I
could never say less than that the Vesper is my favorite,
His gifts are sweetness and perfection.”

But I_ am disposed to believe that every one who will
‘study the music of the Song Sparrow long enough will
inevitably come to the conclusion that he is Nature’s clev-
erest song genius. Indeed, in justification of such belief,
I have only to call attention again to the extraordinary

123

FAMILY Fringillidx.

melodic value of the songs above recorded and say to the
one still unconvinced ‘‘ Match these if you can!”

Swamp In appearance the Swamp Sparrow re-
Sparrow sembles the Chippy, but he is a trifle
Melospiza

larger, and his coloring is not quite the
Tame inhids same, Crown chestnut or Venetian red,
Aprilioth, or forehead black; a gray stripe over the eye
allthe year and asepia line back of it; neck below the
crown ashen gray slightly striped with sepia; back
ruddy brown with black and ochre or buff streaks;
throat dull white toned to light gray on the breast; sides
gray brown; under parts dull white; wing coverts ruddy
brown; tail gray-brown. Female similarly marked.
Nest built on the ground, and similar to that of tlfe Song
Sparrow. Egg also similar to that of the Song Sparrow,
but more heavily marked. This bird is common on wet
meadows, in the thickets of marshes, and on the margins
of streams bordered with cat-tails or reeds, It is dis-
tributed throughout eastern North America. Not in-
frequently it winters in Massachusetts, or the States
farther south,

This Sparrow is rarely seen beyond his chosen retreat;
he is a persistent skulker among the thickets of the
swamp or the borders of the wet meadow, and, as a con-
sequence, his song is scarcely as common as the mon-
otonous one of the Chippy which it resembles. But
there is a distinct difference between the voice of this
bird and that of the Chippy; as a monotone it may be
considered a trifle more musical, and nearer related to
the voice of the Field Sparrow; but it certainly lacks the
sweetness of tone which characterizes the music of the
latter bird, and it is equally certain it is pitched lower
than the stridulous effort of the Chippy. The song
scarcely deserves a record, yet it could be adequately
rendered thus:

Three times 8va....~ Hecelerando.

nd ba. 4. 4.4.4.2 6 6 4 4 £4 2 4 2424
ee ee [ A LD A EE I AE LOG AE
j i | {eS i SEE ee ae We BT Le
i i a. SS i i i | i ea = as .
Weet-weet-weet-weet-t-t-t-¢ ete.

124

CHEWINK TOWHEE.

‘

lt possesses a very perceptible accelerando. Perhaps I
should say it generally finishes with a trill, but I have
been unable to discover any approach to the two tones
which necessarily constitute the trill. Nuttall, how-
ever, seéms to think the song is made up of “a few tril-
ling, rather monotonous notes resembling the song of
the Field Sparrow,” and he is not so very far away from
the truth.

tg This bird is one of the most vivacious
ree and beautiful members of the Finch Fam- —
Fipiloerytiropl-s1 His black back, white breast, and
L.8.35inches chestnut sides form an uncommon and
April 30th striking combination of color at once es-
thetic and distinguished. Beside the Chewink his near
relative, the Song Sparrow is a very ordinary and insig-
nificant-appearing individual. The upper parts of the
Chewink, including head, chest, wings, and tail, are a
glossy black; outer edges of the primaries white; white
also begins at the middle of the chest and extends down-
ward throughout the under parts; sides a bright chestnut
red—almost a pure Venetian red; the iris red, and pupil
black. Female with the same color-pattern, but the
black replaced by lightish brown, the sides a less bril-
liant chestnut, and the tail an umber brown. Nest built
of dried leaves, grasses, and plant fibre, lined with finer
grasses; it is generally placed on the ground, or very
near it. Egg white flecked with madder brown. The
bird is common throughout eastern North America,
though somewhat locally distributed, There are very
few in Campton, N. H., plenty on the slopes of Monad-
nock, in southern New Hampshire, near the summer
residence of Mr. G. B. Upton, and extremely few in the
recesses of the White Mountains.

As a musician the Chewink is not remarkable for
melodic ability or for brilliant execution; in these re-
spects he differs widely from both Song Sparrow and
Wood Thrush, Either of these two talented singers can
hot fail to impress upon the hearer a sense of the beauty
of melody rendered by the mellow whistle of a bird; but
the efforts of the Chewink are amateurish in comparison,

125

FAMILY Fringillidez.

and one is surprised to find his song limited to a prom
ising but exceedingly short beginning; nothing more
seems to follow! There is an attempt at melody and
a failure to realize it. The common form of the song
may be represented by dots, thus:

Ernest E. Thompson writes it, chuck-burr, pill-a-will-
a-will-a-will, which is a very fair representation of the
notes providing one is told that the bird rapidly pro-
gresses upward with clear whistled tones, first a fifth,
and then about a fourth, so the whole compass covers
approximately a jump of nine tones, or just one tone
over an octave. This, however, - would be the form of
but one song, whether it is called common or not.

niwice 8yv4d.....

7
. Chuck-burr pill-a-will-a-will ete,

Somehow or other these particular tones remind one of.
the violinist trying his violin, and one naturally waits
for the bird to begin the real song—but he never does !
Here is another form with a lesser junip—the first inter-
val a third, and the second, a fourth—which is certainly
more satisfactory to the ear:

Vivace. (Ihe bird sings twiceBva)
a a A

a rf i!

Z i i be

These notes might
be rendered at the

piano asa trill
i.e. DandE

oF:

csia

an
Yy
«

And here is again very nearly the same form dropped a
full tone:

126

CHEWINK TOWHEEB.

Lh
L
im
| Se
A Thy EE) SS. SS aK ee See
rw
4
Ly
je
4

I obtained both songs in Dublin, N. H.; they came from
the vicinity of the same field where many birds were
singing, and each was an evident and quick response to
the other. As one may well imagine the antiphonal
effect was delightfully pleasing. Frequently the Che-
wink strikes a perfect octave with two notes of equal
value, thus:

Twice 8va.
,

Ss i 1 ‘fs i i ee. ee |
i A\ iz ] Se vot i = ee
Boom jig pil-il-itilititil

His intervals, as a rule, are eminently satisfactory, and
one only regrets that after so fine a start the little fellow
does not accomplish something more extensive in the
' line of melody; but it is rarely the case that his song
comprises more than three notes; if it does, the chances
are, that he has doubled-up on form. Here is a proof of
that point; the record was obtained in the Arnold Ar-
boretum, near Boston.

Vivace. J -
i
2 \
Se T alte ok oe = = >
TA\V A ’ 5) ome TN ee PS er “ aA
AN) is U |
a 1
é [ hk -..
9 i
h JY
HV" A
<<

127

FAMILY Fringillide.

The next is also from the same place, and shows that the
bird occasionally stops short of the final so-called trill:

Vivace.
iw Ma -
+ ie
, ee an
4 v3 ¥
Pf |

I should say at once in reference to the term trill, that
in my estimation the Chewink rapidly repeats one
tone and does not actually trill. Mr. Cheney evidently
thought otherwise, for all his records of this bird’s
music show two alternating tones for the final note; but
I think a close study of the song will convince the lis-
tener that this is unquestionably composed of a single
tone rapidly reiterated. There are undoubtedly many
variations of the Chiewink’s song, and it is not impossi-
ble that some birds may trill, just as others may adopt
for a time some unusual form, in proof of which Mr.
Cheney remarks: ‘‘ This bird, like many others, can ex-
temporize finely when the spirit moves him. For several
successive days, one season, a Chewink gave me very
interesting exhibitions of the kind. He fairly revelled
in the new song, repeating it times without number.
Whether he stole it from the first strain of Rock of
Ages or it was stolen from him or some of his family,
is a question yet to be decided. The following is an
exact copy of his variation”:

tae Oe e
fy — a
(ye 2
I question the hey:the Chewink must
a Ces sung this higher than twice 8va.)

The Chewink is distinctively a ground bird, and con-
sequently one whose song will be heard issuing from the
shrubbery more frequently than from the topmost twig

128

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK,

of atree. The last, however, is not an uncommon posi-
tion for him, and I recollect being greatly puzzled by an
eccentric form of his song coming from the very top of
a giant oak on or near the estate of Mr. A. Hemenway,
near the Blue Hills, Mass. It was the first time I had
heard the song composed of a single sustained tone and
the so-called trill.

1 i a | al
i i i

His common call, chewink, certainly should be recog-
nized by every one; it is composed of two distinct tones
rapidly whistled, with a rising inflection approximately
covering a sixth, and characterized by an overtone which
I have already explained is best imitated by humming

and whistling simultaneously.
preston
— SY
f- t rad
Che-wink!

This large and bustling Finch is famous for his devo-
tion to the leaf-strewn ground beneath thickets and
brush-heaps; there he will be found in spring grubbing
with an intensity of purpose only equalled by the Fox
Sparrow or the itinerant hen! An ornithological friend
told me he once saw an energetic Fox Sparrow scratch-
ing with both feet in concert, not alternately after the
manner of the slow barn fowl!

Rose-breasted The charming Rose-breasted Grosbeak
panes resplendent in his striking costume of
amelodia 3 3 F
ludoviciana lack, white, and crimson, is one of the
L. 8.10 inches sweetest singers in this part of our coun-
May 12th try. Heisa robust fellow with an over-
large, parrotlike, yellow ivory-colored bill, a somewhat
nervous, restless temperament, and a special penchant
for the trees of the orchard or grove. He is not as com-
mon as he ought to be, which is in part, at least, due to

9 129

FAMILY Fringillide.

his brilliant feathers. Mr. F. E. L. Beal writes: “On

account of this attractive plumage the birds are highly

prized for ladies’ hats, and consequently have been shot
in season and out, till the wonder is not that there are so
few, but that any remain atall.” Head, throat, and up-
per parts jet black; breast marked with a triangle (point
down) of rose-red, or deep rose madder, which color ex--
tends beneath the wings over the under coverts, and

rarely down the centre of the white underparts; lower
back white tipped with black; primaries white at the base;

the outer feathers of the tail tipped with white on the
inner webs. Female marked like a Sparrow; upper
parts gray-brown, pale ochre, and brownish gray; a buff
line on the crown, and a dull white one over each eye;
wings and tail darker gray-brown; light dull orange un-
der the wings replaces the rose color of the male; upper
wing coverts tipped with white; under parts light buff
streaked with gray-brown. Nest loosely woven of root-
lets, twigs, and plant fibres; lodged in thick under-
growth, or in trees from five to twenty feet from the
ground. Egg pale greenish blue with a variety of brown
narkings. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are supposed to be
common throughout eastern North America as far north
as Maine; they winter in Central and South America,

These birds, however, are unevenly distributed. I have
found them far more frequently in the vicinities of
Boston, Cambridge, Mass., and Morristown, N. J., than
in Campton, N. H. Mr. Scott also says the birds ‘are
commonly found in some of our thickly built suburban

towns, where, undisturbed by the vicinity of man, they

seem as much at home as in the wilder woodlands,

Such conditions I have observed in the town of Cam-

bridge, Mass., where this is an almost abundant garden

vird; and in South Orange, N. J., and vicinity, much
the same is the case.” The food of the bird is largely

composed of beetles and a variety of injurious insects.

He has a great liking for the potato beetle.

The song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been gen-
erally described as similar to that of the Robin, but this
similarity, from a musical point of view, is altogether to-
superficial to deserve serious attention. I most emphati-

130

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

cally agree with what Mr. Chapman has to say about
this bird’s song, but at the same time venture to suggest
that notations of Robin and Grosbeak songs should
not necessarily show that similarity of form which he
seems to think is inevitable. He says (1 quote from the
Handbook of Birds): *‘ The song of the Rose-breasted
Grosbeak is generally compared to that of the Robin, and
musical notations would doubtless show that the com-
parison is not misleading. But the similarity is largely -
one of form; in expression there is no more resemblance
in their voices than there is between the birds them-
selves.” That is true, yet it is nothing less than an
enigma to find out precisely where the difference lies; I
should certainly say it was pretty close to form, expres-
sion, and something else besides !
The form of the Robin’s song may be definitely repre-
sented by dots; there is no question about his triplets:
I suppose it would be safe
is say ire 4 are ‘fen triplets to each doublet. In other
words, the abiding characteristic of the Robin’s song is
his triple note. On the contrary no such rule will hold
with reference to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak’s song; the
triplets which he sings are not by any means distinctly
separate groups. Itis perfectly apparent toan attentive
ear that the song of this bird flows with a certain degree
of smoothness, or evenness which is not characteristic of
the Robin’s jerky efforts. Here is an ocular proof of
SRM ISIN, ois) Siete es oe — .—. Thesedotsshow
two things quite plainly: first, that the song is almost, if
not quite continuous, and second, that some of the tones
are sustained longer than others, thus:

Vixgee. 1 ri

Again, there are other significant points about this bird’s
music which dots and dashes can not show. Few, if any,
of his notes are rendered staccato, many with remark-
able expression glide up or down the scale a whole mu-
sical third and even a fifth, and all, or nearly all, are

131

FAMILY Fringillide.

characterized by a delicate overtone. To these facts we
must add the important one that, for an apparently anx-
ious and restless bird always seeming to be in a hurry (at
least during the courting period), the tempo of his song is
quite moderate. This description is about as unlike the
music of the Robin as it could possibly be. Robin’s notes
are all emphatically staccato, few slide—and these are ac-
cidental, hurried, and without expression, — only occa-
sionally are any characterized by what might be termed
a crude overtone, and all progress in a lively, bustling
way without any regard for moderation.

Here is a Rose-breasted Grosbeak’s song obtained in
Campton, N. H., in June, 1903. I do not think it is
radically different from others which follow, yet in su.
perficial appearance it might suggest the Robin’s song
while these others do not; if so, the reason may be at-
tributed to the tying together of the notes in groups of
twos and threes:

pSostenuto Rd _di

Ld * ‘

Observe that the strain is in the minor key, yet it has a
dancing rhythm which gives it a character of sprightli-
ness, Now compare this with the next record in another
and a major key, and the family resemblance of the two
songs will at once become apparent, notwithstanding the
fact that this second record does not in the remotest de-
gree suggest the Robin’s song.

f\ r _
“TD. ra 7P— fs

‘The tone very slightly burred.

j i i i 4

". ae i
Vi x
vw :
a 7 i 7
ry
oy :

332

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

The old adage that ‘‘ there ’s more than one way of K.l-
ing a cat” applies to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak’s song
in musical notation, for, furthermore, if we turn to
Mr. Cheney’s Wood Notes Wild, we find the follow-
ing, which bears not the slightest resemblance to my
own records given abovel

Loudand rapids Mr. Cheney's record

CI Ri
——_ a ——
But Mr. Cheney admits writing this music from memory
though with a feeling of confidence in the accuracy of its
main features and spirit.

_I, also, can see the accuracy of the record, and by
whistling the tune in the Rose-breasted Grosbeak’s way
conjure up a very tolerable idea of what Mr. Cheney
must have heard. If, therefore, I write this bit of music
as I whistle it, its appearance must be different from that
of Mr, Cheney’s writing, thus:

d. =100
Con spirit ito. (The tone. slightly burred)

aA PS gl Oats i &@aiert
fil Peua8? i #4 Fe + BT +
a” i
=

om
= Pp — eres., f/f.) ~ dim.
cy ae Sie el
Lyi ™~/ 5 = ware r
oe = __ 4 >} __ 4 > =
— rs TA te TA 5 T kd
Prd

The difference is attributable to the facts that the slurs,
in my estimation, are important and inseparable from a
proper rendering of this bird’s music, the burring tones
are similarly important, and the pitch of the bird’s tones
being indefinite my rendering requires aslight variation
of the notes, For that matter it must become very evi-
dent to one who studies this bird’s music carefully, that
he is woefully lacking in pitch. There is no certainty
about his tones; in every instance it is a questionable C,
D, or E, and one has to supply the deficiency. Hence
the bird never sings his song out of tune, simply because

133

FAMILY Fringillidez.

there is no tune to his song—leastwise, one can claim
only a suggestion of a tune! But we can always rely
upon the bird’s rhythm; it is utterly unlike that of the
Robin, and possesses a smooth and graceful flow not to
be excelled by the best of our woodland songsters, the
Thrushes not excepted. In Arlington Heights, Mass., I
obtained a record of one of the most even-flowing songs
of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak I have ever heard; it
shows a far greater range of voice than Mr. Cheney’s
record, but, as usual, there was no accuracy of pitch.

Vivace. @.=66

Again, on Linnzan Street, Cambridge, I obtained an-
other smooth and even record scarcely inferior:

{) Moderato ad rallent,

page EGE

The grace notes here, indicate an indefinite fall of the voice.

Nearly all the songs show at the end a rising inflection -
of the voice, which is given in a most enticing and per-
suasive manner. Only the Purple Finch can equal the
Rose-breasted Grosbeak in this bit of pure sentimental-
ity, and in the case of both birds the effect is certainly
very telling.

To the rising and falling inflections of this Grosbeak’s
voice, it is therefore reasonable to suppose one may at-
tribute the sentimental character of the song. Such an
element is wholly absent in the Robin’s music, and on
that account alone from a musician’s point of view the
songs of the two birds must certainly be considered ab-
solutely dissimilar.

Most writers on birds are not less than enthusiastic

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.

about the music of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, ana I -
am inclined to think this is wholly due to its sentimental
character. E. A. Samuels writes, ‘‘ The song is difficult
of description; it is a sweet warble,” (in this regard my
opinion differs from his, for I do not consider the bird
warbles at all!) ‘‘ with various emphatic passages, and
sometimes a plaintive strain, exceedingly tender and
affecting.”” H. D, Minot also falls into the error of the
‘* warble”; he writes, ‘‘ he pours out an extremely mel-
low warble, like that of the Robin, but very much finer.

Sometimes he sings in the night, and with an ardor
which adds to the beauty of his song.” Nuttall, too, is
not behind Minot in the matter of the *‘ warble,” for he
writes that the bird ‘“‘is a most melodious and inde-
fatigable warbler, frequently in fine weather, as in its
state of freedom, passing a great part of the night in
singing, with all the varied and touching tones of the
Nightingale. . . . The notes are wholly warbled,

now loud, clear, and vaulting with a querulous air, then
perhaps sprightly, and finally lower, tender, and pa-

thetic.” John Burroughs writes in Wake Robin that
‘‘he has fine talents, but not genius.” Mr, Cheney

writes, ‘‘his loud, ringing song surely arrests the ear.

He sings rapidly and energetically, as if in a hurry to be

through and off. No bird sings with moreardor. While

on paper his song resembles the Robin’s, . . . the voice

and delivery are very unlike the Robin’s.” But Mr.

Chapman’s admiration of the bird’s voice is evidently

unlimited ; for he says, ‘‘ There is an exquisite purity in

the joyous carol of the Grosbeak; his song tells of all

the gladness of a May morning; I have heard few hap-

pier strains of bird music. "With those who are deaf to

its message of good cheer I can only sympathize, pitying

the man whose heart does not leap with enthusiasm at

the sight of rival males dashing through the woods like

winged meteors, leaving in their wake a train of spark-
ling notes.”

The call-note of this Grosbeak is a ridiculously high
piping pip, or a metallic pink with a shade of anxiety to
the tone, which seems quite unrelated to so large a bird.
But the song is truly an inspired bit of bird-carolling, to

135

FAMILY Fringillidz.

be valued less for its melody than for its incomparable
dancing tempo and its inimitable tenderness. If the
music were embodied in a form easily interpreted by the
piano, it would appear thus:

Scherzando @.-|(4.

Con expressione,
Lo << FE
be 1 oo 1 i -_
[@) we 4
Renae, aa cres. Vs ~ Sf rallent.
A piano interpretation.

db hd te ad
PRE

—

——

Indigo Bunting The intensely blue Indigo Bunting, or In-
Cyanospiza — digo Bird, often appears a mere tiny black
ape inches Sihouette against the brilliant sky as he
May 12th is perched in his favorite commanding
position on the topmost twig of the towering tree beside
the road. That is the place where it has been my cus-
tom to find him. But for a better view of his magnifi-
cent color we must wait for him to descend from his
high perch, or else, in some manner, we must endeavor
to gain a position between him and the sun so its rays
will illuminate his intense and lustrous plumage. Ex-
cepting his wings and tail which are black margined
with blue, his whole body is a deep Prussian blue of an
iridescent quality comparable only to that which we see
on the Peacock’s neck. The color is deepest on the
head, and brightest on the back and neck; the cheeks
are blackish. The female is brown, streaked above, and
pale on the under parts fading to brown-white; wings
and tail brown faintly margined with blue. Nest usu-
ally placed near the ground in the Y of a bush or
shrub, and made up of dead leaves, grasses, plant fibres,
and bark, lined with horse-hair and other fine material.
Egg blue-white. The bird is common throughout the
eastern United States; it winters in Central America.
The song of the Indigo Bunting is one of the most en-
livening and cheerful little lays which one may hear

136

INDIGO BUNTING.

along the roadside, for the little fellow is one of the
- commonest birds of the highway. But he has no gift of
melody, and of sentiment he knows nothing. His is a
canarylike voice, pitched almost beyond the keyboard
limit of the piano, and composed of a series of loud,
ringing metallic chirp-notes of very nearly equal value,
which slightly diminish in volume as the song nears the
end. Expressed by agroup of dashes (these, rather than
dots, would seem to be nearer a good representation
of far-reaching chirps), the song should appear thus:

SPELANNTINNG 0

He always introduces his song with a pianissimo
downward chirp, then proceeds loudly with two or
three upward chirps, continues with a series which
alternates up and down, and finishes with three (some-
times two or four) monotone notes which are remark-
ably suggestive of the words fish, fish, fish! He is
an indefatigable songster, and during the nuptial period
it is common for him to sing at the rate of five songs a
minute for an hour at a time. His interims, too, are
short, and it would be a conservative estimate at this
rate to say the song is repeated (without any variation,
or with trifling variation) not less than two thousand
times in a day! Of course, the form of the song—that
is, the rising and falling inflections of the voice which are
properly called chirps, their repetitions, the diminuendo,
and the few monotones together with the comparatively
equal value of all the notes—is always the same; but the
particular song which is illustrated by the dashes above,
and again represented by this record—

aw nw __ aim. yp

| a
tae 8 | Bre oan
/ Jomtien ss verpennes y

is only one of a great number belonging to the Indigo
Bunting’s repertoire, for no two birds sing exactly alike.
There is a striking similarity, though, in the songs of
particular families. I have become familiar with the

137

PAMILY Fringillide.

character of the music of individuals belonging to differ-
ent generations, and the results of my observations when
recorded upon paper have proved surprisingly similar.
It must be remembered that birds frequently come back
to their old nesting places; so when I say that I have
noted with interest the musical efforts of a particular in-
dividual and his descendants for four, yes, five succes-
sive seasons, the records of the findings will not seem so
much like results of one’s imagination. The following
three songs belong respectively to a grandfather, son,
and grandson; the family resemblance of the music is,
to say the least, remarkable:

dim.
.

1 Songs of birds of three generations.

7 lemaodcme! 6 epeetseercoer ( : . y p y

9 Sip, swee, swee, chi, chir wis wis wis sir sirsir?
A NY

= + we
i | ; ei heater!
Six, chewe,chewe. cheer, cheer,swe,swe,chir,chir,sir,sir, See, see, fish fish, fish!
AY a Sh ee
‘a. e *
na 4 pigiy ti
we | | ee “a
7 tag enoeen fish fish, fish fish!

The third bird sang in 1902 and added one more fish to the song!!

But still more remarkable;was the gradual musical de-
velopment of each song through each season to its com-
plete form; there would not be enough space in this
book to show that, and its practical value would be in-
deed questionable.

Recollecting that there is no tangible melody to this
Bunting’s song such as that which characterizes the Song
Sparrow’s extraordinary essay, it will be readily under-
stood why the tonic and key are not easily determined.
Besides, it becomes still more difficult to record a bird’s
song when the register is half-way off the keyboard of
the piano! The Indigo Bunting sings too high for one
to be sure of his key without considerable study. Mr.
Cheney gives us a characteristic record, and draws the

138

» INDIGO BUNTING. s

conclusion that the key wasF. I have taken the liberty
of slurring the notes.

aa sam
Sl Ls

a L y

—T

elelele

ly J
7:

I made a somewhat similar record at the railroad depot
of Campton, N. H., August 15, 1901 (this shows how
late the little fellow sings), and there appeared to be no
question about the key; it was B flat.

yn £n valsant. en,
— a 4 id 7

: —¢ 41
This is 2 very, fait » continuation &
of a Ws a birds theme! _¥
Y + —F— ;
| 8
¢

4s}: p oe
) Z

There is in this song, as there is in almost every Bunting’s

song, a particular note which is burred.

Of all the birds belonging to the Finch Family this is
the one whose song sounds most like that of the Canary,
though I must except, to a certain degree, the Goldfinch.
But quite unlike the Canary, the Indigo Bunting never
gives the rapidly repeated note which is generally called
a trill, or any complication of bubbling tones. His is
the simplest kind of a performance, brief, and at the
same time full of beauty and good cheer. He is classed
among those immensely useful birds which destroy not
only an infinite number of injurious beetles and bugs,
but also an incalculable amount of weed seed., Although
in the vicinity of my summer home in Campton he is
most frequently seen at the top of some gray birch,
or the wild cherry-tree, he is often found, late in the
season, hunting for seeds on the roadside.

Mr. F, E. L. Beal in writing about the annual destruc-
tion of weed seed by the Junco in the State of Iowa,
says: ‘‘ Upon the basis of one-fourth of an ounce of seed
eaten daily by each bird, and supposing that the birds

139

FAMILY Tanagride.

averaged ten to each square mile and that they remained
in their winter range two hundred days, we should have
a total of 1,750,000 pounds, or 875 tons, of weed seed con-
sumed by this one species in a single season. Large as
these figures may seem, they certainly fall far short of the
reality. The estimate of ten birds to a square mile is
much within the truth, for the Tree Sparrow is certainly
more abundant than this in winter in Massachusetts
where the food supply is less than in the western States;
and I have known places in Iowa where several thousand
could be seen within the space of a few acres. This esti-
mate, moreover, is for a single species, while, as a mat-
ter of fact, there are at least half a dozen birds (not all
Sparrows) that habitually feed on these seeds during the
winter.”

Family Tanagride. TANAGERS.

The Family of Tanagers belongs exclusively to the
New World, and the great majority of its members
are found only in the tropics. According to Mr. Chap-
man but five out of about three hundred and fifty species
visit the United States. Of these there are two which
may be seen in the eastern section of the country, the
Scarlet Tanager and the Summer Tanager, and the latter
is an extremely rare bird north of southern New Jersey
and Illinois, Even the Scarlet Tanager can not be called
common; he comes late and departs again quite early,
frequenting, in the northern parts of his range, the se-
cluded margin of the woods. The Tanager Family is
remarkable for the splendor of its plumage, and a few
of its members possess unusually fine voices bearing a re-
mote resemblance in song-form to the robust voice of

therobin. ,

Scarlet Tanager This splendidly apparelled bird—a flash
sang of color from the tropics—invariably
erythromelas Z
L.7.20inches C@USes an exclamation of surprise and
May 14th delight to burst from the lips of even the
most unemotional observer. A sight of him through
the opera-glass is an unexpected revelation of vivid scar-

let, the like of which is only comparable to one of those
140

Scarlet Tanager

(Male above, female below)

SCARLET TANAGER.

prilliant aniline dyes which fairly makes the eyes swim!
The whole plumage of the bird, except wings and tail, is
an intense red-scarlet; not a vermilion color, for that

lacks life, but a vivid hue such as one can only produce

by superimposing Geranium Lake upon Scarlet Ver-

- milion. The wings and tail are glossy black; the under

_wing-coverts white. Female light olive green above,

_ yellow-green beneath; wings and tail umber brown

margined with dull olive green. Young males like the

_ female but with black wings and tail. By the first of

September the adult male moults his scarlet feathers,

_ and these are replaced for winter wear by others of a
__ bright olive green hue.* The nest is a loose-woven cup-

like structure of coarse grass, plant stalks, and vine

~ tendrils lightly but skilfully put together; it is usually

located near the end of a horizontal limb, about twenty

_ feet (often much less) above the ground. Egg pale

greenish blue, strongly marked with madder brown.
This bird is distributed from southern Illinois and Vir-
ginia northward to New Brunswick and Manitoba.

The song of the Scarlet Tanager like that of the Rose-
breasted Grosbeak has been frequently compared to the
Robin. H. L. Nelson and E. A. Samuels, both writers
about our northeastern birds, express the opinion that
the songs are similar. Florence A. Merriam also says
the song suggests that of the Robin, and J. B. Grant
thinks ‘‘ there is indeed a likeness between the two, the
Robin’s song excelling, however, in heartiness if not in
variety.” Some years ago when I first made the ac-
quaintance of the bird, I was deceived into thinking the
song was that of the Robin; but in a minute of time I
discovered a peculiar burred character to the voice and
shortly afterward traced it to its proper source. To be
sure, there is a certain wild-wood likeness between all
bird songs, and between those of the Rose-breasted

*W.E. D. Scott says, in Bird Studies; “‘The males... vary
very much in the shade and intensity of both the red of the body
and black of the wings and tail. They also present curious ex-
amples of color variation. . .. One of the most frequent of these
divergences is in the direction of one or two more or less clearly

defined scarlet or bright yellow wing-bars. These occur most
often in very intensely colored birds,”

141

FAMILY Tanagide.

Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, and Robin, there are un-
mistakable resemblances which it would be fatuitous to
ignore. But it must be remembered such similarities
are wholly superficial, and that an ordinarily discrimi-
nating ear would have no difficulty in recognizing the
fact.

The most pronounced feature of the Scarlet Tanager’s
voice is its quality of tone; every note is strongly double-
toned or burred. Mr. Bradford Torrey has been quick
to recognize this fact for he remarks, in Footing it in
Franconia, that the Scarlet Tanager is still singing
hoarsely! That exactly expresses a tone quality not
only nearly absent in the Robin’s voice, but in a matter
of degree decidedly unique in the Tanager’s voice. A
very few of the Robin’s notes are burred (sometimes not
one); many of those of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak are
slightly burred (sometimes nearly all); but the abiding
characteristic of all the Tanager’s notes is a double-
tone which can only be imitated by strongly humming
and whistling at thesametime. There isa lazy, drowsy,
dozy buzz to this beautiful bird’s voice which one can
only liken to a giant musical bumblebee, or an old-time
hurdy-gurdy; the unobtrusive music speaks of sum-
mer’s peace and rest, soft zephyrs blowing over sighing
pine-trees, and tinkling shallows of woodland brooks.
From a point of view confined to pure sentiment there
is not the slightest similarity between this serene,
crooning melody and the rollicking carol of the Robin.
There are also several other very pronounced differences
between the songs of the two birds: the Tanager sings
in groups of two, occasionally three, notes, and vice versa,
the Robin in groups of three, and but rarely two, notes;
also, the triple notes of the Tanager are tied together
very closely and are not delivered staccato as are those
of the Robin. In Mr Cheney’s records (pages 74 and 75
of his Wood Notes Wild) there are nineteen two-note
groups and but ten three-note groups. Among five of
my own records I find twenty-four groups of twos
against only six groups of threes! In both of these col-
lections it is plain that all the triple notes were slurred,
and no note anywhere rendered staccato. These differ.

142

SCARLET TANAGER.

ances certainly reveal a distinct contrast between the
songs of the two birds and minimize all theories about
their resemblance; furthermore, we still have the melody
of the Scarlet Tanager to reckon with, and before Lhave
finished with that it may possibly become evident that
it bears no relationship whatever to that of the Robin.
An illustration of the Tanager’s song by aseries of signs
—using dashes rather than dots to represent the legato
in contradistinction to the staccato character—should
legato.
appear thisway:—— —— —— -— 7-77 7
The musical notation of this song very plainly shows the
two-note groups which distinguishes it from the Robin’s
efforts:

—

AWW nan -
Moderato. “nw Onn we ene OS
OQ < bd

—=_ ——e

Observe that all notes are overshadowed by the burr
sign, and that the song, not finished on the tonic, is a
shorter one than the average performance of the Robin.
This record was taken from a bird which sang in the
Arnold Arboretum, near Boston; two days after it was
obtained I heard the same bird sing again, and another
little red-coat make a charming response in the minor:

we *
AY AYV AV nev wv
EST ge ROT Ey a BI cay 8
Mh a i Ta ¢ ;
Jigi dig: «£5
G}- a ae * Pw ry
ee EL {——* I
Vp T J =

I have combined the theme with its response thus*:

* These two songs are so arranged by slight additions that they
form a complete melody of no insignfiicant character, but one alto-
gether different from anything that we could venture to call Robin
like.

143

FAMILY Tanagride.

Ist bird
ys Teor 4.90

| ae Le be) a
a x | ——
yD To. . . Lal
. [e) =

. Summers coming, symmers coming! Prat lin Birds Sd
The tones strongly burred < ‘¢ 9 oY
throughout, : ‘ od : > :
a: r — —s it 4
Eph VO One | i | T > —
F ki | L =a i *
YD O ° = L ~ .
The bird sang twice 8va. P
2 This is the response in the minor.
4 N , FINE 2nd bird
Ss

—
i v | 4
. * oe y £

7 Coming this —_ , Mildwoods sighing, Winters Fig:

£ Small le. 71
acu L ye -4 a * e
ball ; ial oe
—.,,Y 5 i i
Lai | i (ii
| i ie
1
-—
Fame
2b.
iV,
faye D
ANZ

a Hail! "Tis. blithe May. ~ Coming Junes | day!

oa = Ft 4

a Ich |

ors |

In the course of another season I was greatly surprised
to hear a New Hampshire bird sing a song almost identi-
cal with a record made by Mr. Cheney in Vermont:

a —
Moderato. MAA
—,
—! ™

a
mot

: Fo
ho carom L@J
bo
o

!
An excellent addition to this theme may be found in
Mr. Cheney’s record on page 75 of Wood Notes Wild:

144

~
Se e:
. a a a

SCARLET TANAGER.

ae wy aaa on aaaad Aw aad
De a. Lm“
PRN As te 2
iftiaerm™
v
mp v
o. i
. a * a > Pe
a+<p—e# ¢ e é ae
ian a.
v Le

On July 9th of the same year I obtained this lovely
though incomplete melody:

4. 96
derato. raw YW (A st ag me
WwW + e,. ¥ “4 ~~
+ ° | PT
a
7 cres. a a

In comparison with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the
Tanager is far better at pitch; one experiences no diffi-
culty in locating the key, and although the intervals at
times are a trifle obscure, a little patient study reveals
their identity. That wide interval of a sixth in the last
record is rather unusual for a Tanager, but it was given
in this instance with unmistakable accuracy and empha-
sis. Such a musical jump would not have been at all
surprising coming from the Baltimore Oriole, for that is
exactly the sort of thing he can do to perfection if a bird
can do anything perfectly, but this happened to be a per-
formance greatly to the credit of the Tanager; not every |
one possesses a voice with a compass of more than a mu-
sical fifth, indeed, as a general rule most young birds
keep well within the limit of a fourth, as the following
representative record will testify:

weveyv wvyyv rroerry

_— —_—
hr ~~: &
ll '

7
But I have also the song of a young Tanager who spanned
Io
145

FAMILY Tanagride.

a fifth; he sang in the minor key, however, which was
easier for him than the major:

ww WA MN

}
How much a Tanager can improve in his musical efforts
after arriving at years of discretion is shown in the next
record which is the longest one I have. *

Moderato. wwe aw aw, ww naw
> : a <> #
if | al oe
ae a RT i“
i “Sa pes es tT

i.
+ )
WU Mabaah Vhaw
figs
Lae

—+~— “

viv

But another time the bird changed the key and
discarded the minor rendering as follows:

= 7 : y/

The call of the Scarlet Tanager has been adequately
rendered by various authors chip-cherr ; the syllables are
self-explanatory and scarcely need my musical addition:

i
—
! ” Chip-cherr
But this may aid one in remembering the ever-present
overtone in the bird’s voice. Mr. Torrey, in his Birdsin

* Curiously enough this advanced musical effort is set in the keys
of D flat and its relative B flat minor. Quite an accomplished bird,
this!

146

ON a ee

CEDAR WAXWING.

the Bush, says of the call-note: ‘‘ Formerly I gave the
Tanager credit for only:one song,—the one which sug-
gests the Robin laboring under an attack of hoarseness;
_. but I have discovered that he himself regards his chip-
cherr as of equal value.” Possibly there are many who
do not esteem the song of the Tanager very highly. To
tell the truth, the gorgeousness of the little fellow’s cos-
tume eclipses his fame as a musician; but we must travel
far to hear another voice with such a perfectly delicious
reedlike quality, and it would tax the ingenuity of an
accomplished whistler to imitate it with any approach to
a creditable semblance of its singular beauty.

Family Ampelide. WAXWINGS.

This small family includes but one species, the Cedar-
bird, which may be justly called common in the eastern
United States. It is devoid of any musical ability, but is
otherwise very interesting. ?

Cedar Wax- This Cedar Waxwing, or Cedarbird, as

wing he is sometimes called, is most certainly a
Cherrybird ‘ tail de” bird if | f

Ampetis tailor-made ” bir ever there was one
auipairaes which deserved that significant appella-

L.7.15inches tion. His feathers are a close fit, his style
Aprilioth,or refined and irreproachable; his orderly
all the year ~ ES BS ES.
appearance is in sharp contrast with that
characteristically dishevelled morsel of bird-life which
we call the Chickadee, and his dignified carriage is an
unexceptionable model for other members of the feath-
ered tribe. * His colors (and conduct as well) are quiet
almost to the point of being Quakerish; upper parts a
soft tone of light brown graded to gray on wings and
tail; head conspicuously crested; region about the eye
and beneath the bill black; tail tipped with a yellow
band; secondaries, and sometimes tail, in the yellow
part, tipped with scarlet spots resembling red sealing-
wax. Under parts like the back, but paling to a yellow:

* Mr. Ned Dearborn, in his Birds of Durham, calls them “‘ the tip
tops of feathered aristocracy.”

147

FAMILY Sf ae

ish tint lower down. Female sivafigat marked. Nest
built in some tree usually near the house (not infre-
quently a fruit-tree), bulky, and woven with grasses,
bark, twigs, moss, and rootlets, sometimes with a basis
of mud; the lining of similar but finer material. Egg
purplish or bluish gray variously spotted with umber or
black. The breeding season is late—about early July.
The birds range throughout North America, breeding
from Virginia northward, and among the Alleghany
Mountains south to South Carolina; they winter from
the northern United States to northern South America,
They are characteristic wanderers—Mr. Scott calls them
gypsies—who come and go in squads of six or seven, or
more, regardless of migration periods. Their quiet un-
obtrusiveness, their silence, their gentle manners and re-
fined appearance always make them peculiarly attractive
to the bird-lover, in spite of the fact that they have an
unfortunate reputation for being over-fond of cherries.
But I think Mr. F. E. L. Beal has proved that this is an
onus of unjust opinion saddled upon a bird of generally
beneficent habits. He says: ‘‘ much complaint has been
made on account of the fruit eaten. Observation has
shown, however, that the depredations are confined to
trees on which the fruit ripens earliest, while later varie-
ties are comparatively untouched. Thisis probably owing
to the fact that when wild fruits ripen they are preferred
to cherries, and really constitute the bulk of the Cedar-
bird’s diet. In one hundred and fifty-two stomachs ex-
amined, animal matter formed only thirteen and vegetable
eighty-seven per cent., showing that the bird was not
wholly a fruit eater. . . . Of the eighty-seven per
cent. of vegetable food, seventy-four consisted entirely
of wild fruit or seeds, and thirteen of cultivated fruit,
but a large part of the latter was made up of black-
berries and raspberries, and it is very doubtful whether
these represented cultivated varieties. Cherry-stealing
is the chief complaint against this bird, but of the one
hundred and fifty-two stomachs only nine, all taken in
June and July, contained any remains of cultivated
cherries, and these would aggregate but five per cent.
of the year’s food.”

148

RED-EYED VIREO.

The handsome Cedar Waxwing is therefore a bird of
use as well as beauty; but alas for his song! It does not
exist, or if it ever did it is now reduced to the level of
a pianissimo imitation of the whistle belonging to the
Italian’s peanut roaster which sings on the corner of our
city streets. Mr. Torrey writes pleasingly about the al-
most unbroken silence of this bird’s life, and adds: ‘‘ Of
course I refer to the Waxwing whose faint, sibilant
whisper can scarcely be thought to contradict the fore-
going description. By what strange freak he has lapsed
into this ghostly habit, nobody knows. I make no ac-
count of the insinuation that he gave up music because

_ it hindered his success in cherry-stealing. He likes
; cherries it is true, . . . but he would need to work

hard to steal more than does that indefatigable songster,

_ the Robin.”

I have managed, not without some difficulty, to locate
the note of the average Waxwing at E flat, just three
tones beyond the limit of the piano!

Three tones above highest C ppnapy

: Bee
There is also a burred note, which Thoreau calls his
‘*beady note,” included in the above notation. That is
the best and only representation it is possible for me to
give of the voice of this esthetic squeaker.

Family Vireonide. VIREOS.

This group of birds is very nearly related to the War-
blers; but in song and habits the Vireos show traits
which are distinctly their own. There are about fifty
species in America, to which country this family exclu-
sively belongs, but only five species may be considered
common in eastern North America.

Red-eyed The few species of Vireos commonly
haat found in the eastern part of our country
Vireo olivaceus : 4 :

L.6.20inches 2r¢ extremely interesting and useful birds,
May i2th far more musical than the so-called War-

blers to which they are closely related, and certainly
149

FAMILY Vireonide.

more deliberate in character and action, They are, like
the Warblers, great insect destroyers. It is very signi-
ficant in view of the differences between the two classes
of birds that the Vireos almost invariably sing in alle-
gro and the Warblers in presto time, that the voices of
the tiny Warblers are weak, thin, and pitched very high,
and that those of the more robust Vireos are louder and
pitched much lower.

The Red-eyed Vireo is one of the commonest of birds,
and is easily recognized by his intermittent song. He is
in évery orchard, along every highway and byway, and
on the margin of every wooded hill throughout the
country. His crown is dark gray margined by an al-
most black line sharply contrasted with a white one
directly over the eye; the iris is reddish; upper part of
wings (with no wing-bars) light brownish olive; under
parts white or yellower white as the season is advanced.
Female similar in coloring. The nest is pensile and
woven of dried grasses and the shredded stems or
branches of weeds; plant down, bits of paper,* and
birch-bark are also often used in its construction. About
one half of the edge of the nest is attached to some forked
limb anywhere from five to thirty (or rarely more) feet
high. Egg white, sparingly flecked with umber or sepia.
The range of this Vireo is throughout eastern North
America; it winters in Central and South America.

There is no bird song more easily traced to its source
after a little experience with the roadside songsters than
this one. It is not necessary to leave the road to find the
singer, he will surely be directly overhead or on the
other side of the way before one has walked five minutes;
he is omnipresent, persistently loquacious, indefatigable,
and irrepressible! He has something to say at all times
and under all circumstances, and one may absolutely
rely upon his having the /ast word unless the matter is
settled with a gun! Heis a restless fellow and is seldom
in one place for more than a few seconds ata time. All
through the long summer day he sings his rhythmically

* A young lady once showed me a nest belonging to her collection,
in which was weven a bit of newspaper with the print in plain
sight; it read—or part of it did—* front door this side.”

150

”
— sa" ~~. hl .

.
ig
as

-RED-EYED VIREO.

broken, interrupted song, and one may always depend
upon this fragmentary character for its unmistakable
identification. The dots show the disconnected charac-
ter of the song perfectly:

we @ ote @ o*e, e re ra a
« n s

The musical notation in general appearance does not look
unlike that of the Robin:

Hilegro agitate, DD Hil twice 8va, GQ
J _/T} _ Fo

mf 3X sempre staccato. 73
—s

2 in

“ Or' the fal lowing:

Allegro agitato. <t~ \ Twice 8va
ana > - ~ aa, i,
: a oom 2 ff ele 7A
4__£ a oir, TTT rd ars
a 2 2 [ome | TTI eet i ie ell lif
4 — tected 4 juaan | eae

But there are really great differences, and appearances
at best. are superficial; the Red-eyed Vireo’s voice is
pitched on a higher key, the notes are more rapid al-
though the pauses are much longer, and the whistle is
an apparently clear one by no means running along in
unaltering three-note groups. Henry Ward Beecher,
crediting the Vireo with a devotional nature, has said of
him, ‘‘ He pauses between each morsel of food to give
thanks to Heaven,” which is exactly the case if one con-
siders the half-note rests as the time required to devour
the morsels! But Wilson Flagg’s description of the song
places the bird at once among the clergy, and one won-
ders whether the Vireo is not after all a religious charac-
ter, for he says: ‘‘ The Preacher is more generally known
by his note, because he is incessant in his song.

Though constantly talking, he takes the part of a

151

FAMILY Vireonide.

deliberate orator who explains his subject in a few words
and then makes a pause for his hearers to reflect upon it.
- « + ‘You see it—you know it—do you hear me?—
do you believe it?’” W. E. D. Scott says of the song, it
is ‘‘slow, drowsy, and broken. Hesitating as if at a
loss for the next series of notes, the pause is long but
they are sure to come.” But I can not, myself, see any-
thing slow or drowsy about it; instead, one would im-
agine the choppy sentences indicated that thebird was
ever on the qui vive for the unexpected. Wilson has
another idea about the music, for he says: ‘‘ Indeed, on
attentively listening for some time to this bird in the full
ardor of his song, it requires but little of imagination to
fancy that you hear it pronounce these words, ‘ Tom-
kelly . . . whip-tom-kelly!’ very distinctly.” But after
all, from a human point of view, the language of a bird
is entirely shaped by our state of mind and environ-
ment; therefore, if we separate ourselves as far as possi-
ble from such influences, and imagine that the bird is
expressing his exuberant feelings by idle chatter as he
searches for his breakfast and thinks his wife ought to
be by his side to share it—I should venture to suggest

he said this: ‘‘Fat worms . . . plenty to eat
Gobble ‘em up . . . they ’re sweet. . . . Come dear
. don’t delay ... Fly thisway ... I’m here!”

—but how do we know that? The fact of the case, how-
ever, is not altered by imagined sentences; the mechani-
cal rhythm of the Vireo’s song is perfectly expressed by
a series of rapid beats, or taps, or sentences, or notes—
one does not care which—widely separated. There are
two, three, four, or even five notes in a group, and these
are given with such rapidity and with such a lack of
true pitch, that all semblance of concerted tones or any-
thing like tunefulness must not be expected at all! The
bird can not sing a connected song; his attempt is asort
of musical hash, a potpourri of tones, not melodies,

Not the best songster in the country on the morning
of the rarest day in June can give us a livelier, cheerier
roundelay. In the gayest of spirits he sings from early
May until the middle of August, and if some hot day in
midsummer you enter the woods, and far up among

152

lt ht ee

WARBLING VIREO.

the tree-tops where the light is greened by the forest’s
multitude of leaves hear the following song;

Aegroagits fo. “Twice 8va. 7 aN

ia) a anor ow 7s Y=
mete “a0 JGUsSe 4K PA

LA hal ‘Ss zome Porras

you may be sure it is that of the Red-eyed Vireo; the
notes are clearly whistled, there is scarcely a suggestion
of the overtone, they are pitched very high, and the
groups themselves are closely connected—in fact, slurred.
My rendering of the music shows that the bird attempts
intervals of a third, fourth, fifth, and even an octave;
but very few of these are really accurate; one has to
presume more than half the time that the bird meant to
do thus, or so, and take no note of failures.

Warbling A smaller bird than the Red-eyed Vireo;
ts pes the upper parts a dull olive-gray inclined
L. 5.75 inches toward brown; under parts dull white
May 12th slightly dashed with pale yellow on the
breast; the first primary wing feather exceedingly short,
the long feathers of the wing and those of the tail tipped
with olive at the edges; no wing-bars; a well-defined line
of white-gray over the eye; the general color a grada-
tion from gray on the head to olive-brown on the back.
The pensile nest, usually attached to a Y branch well
above one’s head, is woven of various vegetable fibres
and lined with soft grasses. Egg whitespeckled slightly
with umber, red-brown, or sepia. The range of this
Vireo extends throughout North America.

This familiar bird may be justly termed a village
character.. He makes his home among the maples and
elms of Plymouth, N. H.; and Cambridge, as well as subur-
ban New York knows his cheery song throughout May
and June. Unfortunately he is not as easily seen as
heard. His time is spent among the tree-tops exploring
every leaf and twig with tireless energy; the best way to
find him is to be on the lookout for a group of agitated,
wagging leaves; there in the midst of the disturbance
a tiny, restless, busy figure will presently appear and

153

FAMILY Vireonidz.

disappear before one can adjust the opera-glass—it is hel
But there can be no doubt about the identification of the
slippery little fellow if one will depend upon the ear
rather than the eye, for the song is a continuous warble
exclusively his own, although resembling in its general
free character that of the Purple Finch, Different
writers describe his voice as a rambling soprano; which
is all well enough in its way, but generalities, as a rule,
are unsatisfactory and misleading, and such a descrip-
tion tells less than half the truth. There is more in the
Warbling Vireo’s song than at first would appear, In
construction it is a smooth, continuous flow of about
nine or more notes of equal value. There is no other
Vireo that sings thisway. Again, the Warbling Vireo's
attempt at music does not resemble a song as much as it
does a bit of a fantasia, caprice, or the somewhat rapid
movement of a sonata. When the bird begins he runs
on until he has finished, without break, pause, or any
unevenness whatever. Here isa record from Saxton’s
River, Vt., taken May 23, 1901:

‘Twice a ETI = :
4 /

» "A
“mp ces. Ff
So little is there of variation in the character of the
song, that a sufficient proof of that fact is found in the
record I made in Cambridge, Linnean Street, two years
earlier—May 21, 1899.

a mp Cres. x 3

This song is constructively identical with the record
taken in Vermont. One needs to bear several points in
mind in ledrning the character of the Warbling Vireo’s
music. Itisalmost entirely without definite pitch—that
is, the bird does not seem to sing on any particular key
(I can not too emphatically state that fact); furthermore,

154

Warbling Vireo

WARBLING VIREO,

the notes are closely connected together and seem to be _
rolled around in his bill like a sugarplum, but in spite of
this effect they are apparently delivered staccato; the
last note in particular is struck and left abruptly, as
though it were red-hot! Finally, it is evident that a
slight overtone distinguishes every note, that each note
gathers force as it goes, and that the last-one will be
found to be the highest in the great majority of songs.
Although, note for note, the first phrase of Chopin’s wild
but beautiful Impromptu Fantasia does not correspond
with this Vireo’s song, it can not be denied that there is
a striking similarity in the construction of the two frag-
ments:

Alegro agitate. ———_ Cio TRY

hts ses eda ae
rr P ae
ae Re oie
ied ————

Both bits of music roll triumphantly toward a high note
in a sort of spontaneous ebullition of feeling, and there
the matter ends—with the Vireo; but Chopin goes on,
and his sprightly embroidery of tones is ultimately suc-
ceeded by the more substantial form of a slow and
dignified melody. If we take the Vireo’s song and give
it the advantage of a harmonious setting, the result is
not a bad one:

Allegro 2. - ~ fe 7 =

The birdsan
twice 8va. ¥ mp cres, © 4
4 =

FAMILY Vireonide.

Now if we take the trouble to look over the first few
phrases of that lively old Sonata of Scarlatti, which I
regret to say is not as popular as it deserves to be, we
will find the ninth bar is as follows:

>”

pete

, eal

——————e

a form almost identical with my interpretation of the
Vireo’s song! But if it is difficult to catch the idea of
the music from these notations, there is still an oppor-
tunity of catching it by studying the mechanical
rhythm; that may be represented by a series of nine or
eleven even taps on the table with the pencil, accom-
panied by an undulating whistle, not forgetting the
overtone. Or, if weresort to a demonstration of the form
by means of syllables, the best that can be done is this:

too-te-terte—™~
too-te-ter/
te-ter

To - too

I have bound these syHables together with the tie sign
of music, which, it seems unnecessary to add, is so im-
portant that if unheeded it would not be possible to get
at the true character of the music at all!

It is necessary also to attach the greatest importance
to the crescendo of this bird’s song; he begins perhaps
moderately but he ends with emphasis, and certainly
he is an artist in smooth execution! "Watch him closely
if opportunity affords, and you will find his music and
business are inseparable; he is a busybody, occupying
every moment, never stopping to sing, never idle; his
refrain is:

“* Can’t you see it’s best to sing and work like me/”
156

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.

His tone of voice is a bit argumentative and persuasive,
the crescendo attests to that, and what Wilson savs of it
is perfectly true, although he fails to hear the emphasis
inseparable from the crescendo, ‘‘ This little bird may
be distinguished from all the rest of our songsters by the
soft, tender, easy flow of its notes while hidden among
the foliage. In these there is nothing harsh, sudden, or
emphatic; they glide along in a kind of meandering
strain that is peculiarly its own.”

Yellow- This less common Vireo is a more beau-
throated Vireo tifylly marked and colored bird than any
Vireo 3 $ =

» favifrons other member of his tribe. The back is a
L.5.75inches clear olive green modified to gray on the
May toth rump; there are two white wing-bars; the

throat, breast, and a ring around the eye are bright. yel-
low; this color fades to white at the undermost parts.
The prevailing tones of color are olive-gray and yellow.
Female similarly marked. The pensile nest is built of
shreds of bark and plant fibres well woven together and
lined with soft grasses; it is suspended from a Y branch
usually about twenty feet from the ground, Egg white
sparingly flecked with umber, red-brown, or sepia. The
range of the bird is throughout eastern North America.

My first acquaintance with this Vireo dates back many
years to the day my Manx cat entered the studio with
the little creature in his mouth quite dead. I had been
puzzled by the distinctly different character of two songs
I had heard, evidently belonging to two species of Vireo.
These proved to be the songs of the Red-eye and Yellow-
throat. The attempt to connect each song with the right
bird was not a difficult task, but I really obtained no as-
sistance whatever from the books. For two birds whose
songs were so entirely different it seemed absurd that
they had been so slightingly treated from a musical point
of view.

There are certain radically opposite characteristics
to the songs of the two species. It is commonly said
that the Red-eye has a soprano, and the Yellow-throat a
contralto voice; that is a fairly good comparison as the.
Red-eye really does pitch his voice in a high key and

157

FAMILY Vireonide,

the Yellow-throat in a much lower one. But the most
striking difference between the voices.of the birds is
less a matter of key than quality of tone—in a word, the
Yellow-throat’s notes are completely dominated by over-
tones, and the Red-eye’s notes are not. To imitate this
effect I hum any tone away down in the base and at the
same time whistle up high in a very slurring fashion the
three or four notes common to the Yellow-throat’s song.
Of course, music of that nature does not bear any rela-
tion to the full, pure tones of a contralto singer. It is
nearer the truth to say, rather, that the Yellow-throat
has a violin quality to his voice, or better, a reedlike
quality; Bradford Torrey calls it an ‘‘organ tone.” At
any rate there is no clear whistle to this Vireo’s music,
and on the contrary there is to the Red-eye’s music.
That is the whole matter in a nut-shell! For the rest I
may add that the Yellow-throat’s tempo is much slower,
and that he does not indulge in such an interminable
amount of singing! Red-eye takes life much less seri-
ously, and Mr. Gilbert’s sentiments placed in Bunthorn’s
mouth (in Patience) regarding the esthetic poet, exactly
fit his case:

** It really does n’t matter
If it ’s only idle chatter
Of a transcendental kind!”

The deliberate way in which the Yellow-throat sings is
also another characteristic of the bird which must always
separate his song from that of all his relatives. He is
never in a hurry, and after singing three or four clusters
of slurred notes, thus:

/ dseeme! Im here, where are you?

he gives you plenty of time to think the matter over be-
fore he makes another remark, and always, you will no-

158

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO.

tice, he sticks to that locustlike buzz which I have
described as reedlike. As for what he says, thatis again
a matter of opinion. Mr. Chapman gives the syllables as
follows, but I place them up and down off the line to in-
dicate the pitch:

** See here; are
me; I’m where
you?”

At the time of the Boer War I imagined this interesting
bird was telling me all about it in the following way:

een aes
Mafeking. Hodder Fiver Butanege. Molappo. Boer wart
Certainly one finds the word Buluwayo fits a particular
group of four notes remarkably well, though they are
fused together almost inseparably.

There is no variation from this kind of singing so far
as I am aware, except that the little fellow occasionally
talks to himself sotto voce, as many another bird does,
when his remarks become musically incoherent. I rec-
ollect whistling to him one day, in his own fashion,
when we met in the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, and to
my infinite surprise he dropped his stereotyped song,
and ran rippling along among a lot of trills and warbles,
pianissimo et gracioso! That was a surprise, and I
wondered whether it was meant for a tender love ditty,
with myself mistaken for the charming Juliet! Perhaps
so, who can tell?

As for the stereotyped song of the Yellow-throat, that,
like all the other Vireos’ songs, is very uncertain in
pitch; one is never sure about the key, for one group of
notes may suggest B flat andanother F. Butif Ishould
render the melody with an accompaniment as one might
reasonably suppose the bird would render it if he only
knew how to stick to a given key and sing with the piano,
the result would be something like the following coherent
melodic form:

| hese WEN cas, pe Oa

FAMILY Vireonide.

Moderato “OY RR saps AO
<a p> —
_
AS) M }:; + 5 | ol 5) A. a
a Tl ATT ou a a
ot | 1 7 1

i
=a &
The bird rapidly slurs —
the note 4 #3) Mi g 2 Q
cluster. = °
: pP- ae
L j | | tt Ge:
| ' ' ' 7 T
T Cer

‘

But one must remember that the song is greatly discon-
nected—seriously so, for the time is so long between the
little groups of notes that this interpretation might prove
misleading unless the reader is warned beforehand. My
intention is simply to illustrate the fact that the song
tends towards a coherent form which it just fails to at-
tain. So perfect is the pitch of those slurred four tones
to which the word Buluwayo has been applied, that I
think anybody would recognize their repeated occurrence
in the Impromptu Fantasia of Chopin; here they are:

8yva Creecetescececsceseces
d= 168. > > : PN
4 —~— > bad i ta
out > a ie
ante, Ptr

If the little bird could only sustain himself, musically
speaking, he might do as well as Chopin for a bar or two
atleast. But hecan not, and we must be content with his
random phrases, which separately considered are musical
enough to satisfy the most exacting ear. At the very least
he must always stand as a most expressive singer.

Solitary Vireo This Vireo is a woodland character
aga a whose voice is often heard where the road
mee solitarius Winds through the woods at the foot of
L.5.60inches the hill. He is one of the few birds who
May ist does not hesitate to do the best with his

limited musical score in the latter part of September as
160

r Heit 4

4
Pai tg Nar ia

ne oS) a
=a we
: eh
4 gogae™ |
\
| |
{

“
rv 7
= “
,

White-eyed Vireo Solitary Vireo
(above) (below)

BLUER-HEADED VIREO,

well as the first of May. He is one of the first birds
to arrive in the northern woods and the last to depart in
the autumn. His colors are simple but tasteful. Head,
top and sides, blue-gray; back olive green brighter on
the rump; a white eye-ring, and white between the eye
and the bill; two distinct white wing-bars; outer web
of inner secondaries white; under parts white but tinted
with green-yellow on the sides. Female similarly
colored. Nest pensile, about ten feet from the ground,
and placed in the Y of a slender branch; it is usually
built of plant fibres and pine needles. Egg white lightly
speckled with umber or sepia, mostly at the larger end.
_ This bird’s range is throughout eastern North America.
It breeds on the crests of the Alleghanies, and north-
ward from Connecticut. It winters from Florida to
Central America.

As a singer the Solitary Vireo will rank as high as, if
not higher than, any of his relatives. His music is not
remarkable for pitch, precision of intervals, or melody;
indeed, he is simply an expert in emphatic expression.
In this respect he is quite the equal of his querulous
cousin, the White-eye, though he certainly lacks the im-
pertinence of that bird. He may be classed at once
among those songsters who can slur over a short passage
with remarkable skill and leave one in complete mystery
as to what tones were given! To this class belong the
lazy Wood Pewee and the somewhat melancholy Mead-
owlark. But the slur of the Solitary Vireo is of an-
other nature; like the musical swishing of a whip-lash
it is fraught with emphasis! Unlike the common note
of the White-eye, which consists of four syllables, this
Vireo seems to me exclusively to sing notes of two and
three syllables. Also, I have noticed him do something
which I have never observed any other Vireo attempt;
that is, string together no less than three or four of his
two-cluster notes; here is an illustration of that point:

, ‘Notes all slurs,
Twice Bue ¢ a )
| t “

y
‘~. T

Smee

FAMILY Vireonide.

The structure of his song is not unlike that of the
Yellow-throated Vireo, as the following notation will
show; but there is a certain elementary character to the
song of each of the birds which written music can not
easily express—i. e., the buzz of one and emphasis of
the other:

Sforzando. NOE — - abe hax: i | nS

ra 4 is

SI + . . o — . 4

7 a - =e
; . —"—‘This\grouptis

coe : ee Characteristic.
<4 iw Ld —— — |
, f- ~

—— all

This group of three SH x, NEY | =

slurred tones ts characteristic. 2

One need not suppose for an instant, that the notes as I
have recorded them represent tones accurately struck
by the bird; they do not. But they do represent the
approximate swing of his slurred tones placed as cor-
rectly as possible upon the musical staff.

One may think that the music looks like that of the
Robin; but I am quite sure that my explanations and
musical signs will constitute an evidence sufficient to
show that such an impression produced upon the eye
could not be other than an entirely superficial one.

White-eyed The White-eyed Vireo is an extremely
bik uncommon bird in New England. In

noveboracensis Campton, N. H., his voice is never heard,
L. 5.2sinches and in the vicinity of Boston it is very
May 15th. rare. In northern New Jersey, however,
the bird is an almost common summer resident, and his
notes enliven the thick shrubbery and undergrowth
wherever there is a pond or stream with a marshy
border. He is also common in the vicinity of Washing-
ton. His colors are, gray olive-green on the back;
brown-olive on wings and tail; two distinct yellowish
cream wing-bars on each wing; the region in front of
and around the eye yellow; throat and under parts dull
white; breast and sides tinged with greenish yellow

162

WHITE-EYED VIREO.

fading into the white; the iris white in spring and early ,
summer only. Femalesimilarly colored. Nest like that
of the Red-eyed Vireo. Egg white with a few markings
of umber, red-brown, or sepia at the larger end. The
range of this bird is from Florida to New Hampshire
and Minnesota; it winters from Florida to Honduras.

The favorite retreat of the White-eyed Vireo is the
thicket of the swamp. There, his querulous notes will
be heard with a certain impatient inflection of the voice
which unmistakably denotes dissatisfaction—at least,
that is the impression one gets upon hearing him for the
first time. If one stops to investigate the little fellow
with the opera-glass, and he discovers the intruder,
there is pretty sure to be expostulations on his part of a
significant if not a saucy nature. He seems to whistle
at one angrily—Who are you there?. . Go ’way...
Get out! His range of voice is much wider than that of
the Red-eye, his whistle is almost as clear, but his notes
are slurred—not delivered staccato. To my mind his
voice more nearly resembles that of the Solitary Vireo.
Mr. Torrey considers the bird a singer of astonishing
spirit and a skilful ventriloquist. The following is my
only notation:

‘, Sforzando. , :
(AS te a

az. 4

(Noles all slurs)

It does not differ in appearance from that of other Vireos,
but the inflections of the bird’s voice, are, nevertheless
distinctly his own.

Family Mniotiltide. Woop WARBLERS.

This remarkable and large family of so-called soft-
billed birds is distinctively American. According to
Mr. Chapman there are one hundred species known, of
which some seventy visit the United States, the rest re-
maining in the tropical regions. Of the seventy species,
about thirty may be considered more or less common,
generally or locally, and of this number certainly not
more than a score are likely to become familiar to the

163

FAMILY Mniotiltide.

ordinary bird student through their songs. These songs,
without exception, are pitched extremely high, There
are a few I can find with a register that extends be-
low the highest G of the piano, and many extend ap-
proximately to G an octave above that, which is fou:
whole tones more than the piano undertakes to account
for! When a bird sings as high as that, we may as well
admit that a musical ear is sorely puzzled, and a defec-
tive one hopelessly tone-deaf, It is therefore no simple
matter to determine the intervals in a Warbler’s song,
and notation must represent them approximately rather
than exactly; this, however, will in no wise prevent
a due recognition of the song printed on paper, for its
mechanical rhythm is of far greater importance than its
pitch. Naturally enough no musician will consider the
Warblers good songsters—on the contrary, as a class.
they are the very poorest of the woodland singers. In
imitating their songs I have to produce a lisping whistle
by placing the tongue immediately back of the upper
front teeth, and forcing the tonein between, and making
it high or low by the movement of the lips. In this way
alone should my notations be read, and not with the aid
of the piano except as it may serve in locating the tones.

The majority of the Warblers arrive late in the spring,
most of them travelling by night. Their food consists
mainly of insects, untold myriads of which they destroy
during one season alone. How much such work accrues
to our benefit, who shall say!

Black and This Warbler, sometimes called the Black
White Warbler .,4 White Creeper, is very common and
Mniotilta varia qt ° :

L. 5.25 inches ™ost easily recognized. He has a habit of
April 25th walking upside down as well as right side
up with the ease and agility of a true Creeper, hence
a confusion of titles. The bird is admirably marked;
he is a symphony in black and white; Nature has rung
all the changes possible with those colors, Head barred
black and white, a white stripe over each eye; ear coverts
black; upper parts streaky black and white; two white
wing-bars on each wing; inner webs of outer tail feath-
ers white-patched; throat and upper breast black, or

104

eee eee

Black and White Warbler

BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER.

striped irregularly with white; under parts white. Fe-
male similarly marked but with less black beneath, and
a rusty black or brownish tone on the sides. Nest on
the ground at the base of a stump or at the root end of
some overthrown tree; it is woven of strips of bark,
plant fibres, and grasses, and is lined with rootlets,
hairs, etc. Egg white with specks of varying brown at
the larger end. This Warbler is distributed throughout
eastern North America; it winters from the Gulf States
to Central America.

The song of the Black and White Warbler, if one can
call any of the tsippings of the Warblers by the dignified
term song, is a series of two distinctly separate high
tones approximately at highest C and the second whole
tone higher, off the piano keyboard. These two tones
are wagged back and forth a number of times, and that
constitutes the song: ;

there is nothing more to it, and yet an acute observer
will notice that there is something peculiar about the
accent: it is shifted; the wag is upward in the first half
of the song and downward in the last half. The bird
is somehow or other overcome with an exuberance of
high spirits, and lisps hysterically! There is not a person,
who, when he heartily laughs, does not do something
very similar, We say, ‘‘ Mr. —— was convulsed with
laughter,” but we took no note of the nature of the
convulsion ; if we did, we would remember that there
was a continuous shifting of accent as well as tone in
the laugh. Some Black and White Warblers are, of
course, young, and these have not yet advanced so far
as a shift in the accent of the song—in fact, they do not,
to use a popular term, knowit all. The musical nota-
tion shows the character of the song perfectly, but I
must emphasize the fact that the tones are altogether
too high to be accurately located on the staff:

d Met f ve. raat! 8 nes

> aim. ad
S ee > > >
LA 2 ia ~ a. “a a
| a | ul | a | t
i i i L i
~ de es =

105

FAMILY Mnaiotiltida.

‘o imitate these high tones it is necessary to place the
tongue in a rigid position behind the upper front teeth,
an eighth of an inch, perhaps, away from them, and
force the whistled tone between; the lips will easily
manage the third interval by a slight shift.

Golden-winged This beautiful gray Warbler with his

Warbler P noe
Helutathrophiic of gold and his funny, quizzical
chrysoptera face (when you get a good front view of

L.5.10inches it) is rather a late arrival. He appears in
May 14th. the vicinity of New York about May 8th,
and around Boston several days later. His colors are
unique and refined. Top of head bright lemon yellow;
upper parts a light blue-gray, with sometimes a slight
greenish tinge; two narrow wedges of black extend
from about the eye backward, and another from the
chin downward, the intervening space being white; a
narrow white line over the eye; two overlapping bars
on the blue-gray wings form a conspicuous yellow patch;
the three outer tail feathers have white patches on the
inner vanes; sides light gray; lower breast and under
parts white. Female similarly marked, but the black
displaced by gray, and the yellow by pale ochre-yellow.
Nest on the ground among the bushes in field borders;
it is built of dead leaves, bark, and tendrils, and lined
with finer material. Egg white speckled on the larger
end with varied brown. The bird is distributed
throughout the eastern United States and breeds in
the more northern ones including northern New Jersey.
It winters in Central and northern South America, I
have never seen it in Campton, N. H., and according to
Mr. Ned Dearborn’s report it has not been discovered
within the limits of New Hampshire. It is, however, a
common bird in the Arnold Arboretum, near Boston,
The song of the Golden-winged Warbler is something
of a puzzle to the initiated as well as the uninitiated;
it is generally reported as a monotonous zee-zee-zee-zee,
which is all right in part. Evidently it is a case of
tone-deafness with those who have reported the song
thus imperfectly, otherwise it is difficult to understand

166

J9{qIVM pesuIM-uspfoy JIIQIVM ITIAYSeyy

2 : 5 - r ee a ie . + cons ks age y
fee 3 ‘ 4 j ek, ee aN ee Bs i 4g (al

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER.

why they should not have favored us with the first
syllable. I have never heard the bird sing zee-zee-zee-zee
alone; for those who listen with a sharp ear he will
always sing Ps-s-s-st zee-zee-zee-zee, or some similar
form which is duly recorded here. It is a notable fact
that many people are partly tone-deaf; I have the
acquaintance of several so afflicted, therefore, it is not
surprising that the syllable Ps-s-s-st has not (to my
knowledge) been reported, for the note is pitched so
inconceivably high that there is little use in placing it
in any definite position on, or relatively with, the musi-
cal staff! Of course such a tone can not be heard by
one who is tone-deaf. The other four notes (there may
be less, rarely more of them) are characteristically
burred, and one has to hum and at the same time
whistle in a lisping way between the teeth to imitate
them. Here is a fair representation of the song by a
series of signs: .... or, rendering this form in
musical notation, the aspect is certainly not materially
changed:

ie
LY > rn

a2.
| A OZ
res | | |
i | ed
a

Ps-5-$t zee-zee-zee-zee.

60 7 LangoT hee times Sve.

But this Warbler, like many another bird, indulges iv
certain variations; here is one:

Cres. MWK

S eI

Cs eee

That consists of two long notes and two short ones; the
record belongs to a particular individual, and I have
been unable thus far to duplicate it, so I suppose it may
be considered eccentric. By far the commonest record
I have is a form comprising only four notes with the in.
terval of a third between the first and second note
thus:

167

FAMILY Maiotiltide.

COS SADA

Rssst zee-zee-zee. + *

Then, a very unusual form seems to me to be one where
the general order of the song is reversed, and the buzz-
ing note is higher than the others, thus:

creés. are
.

= ih Oe i oe SE

I can not promise that the intervals as they are recorded
here are absolutely correct; it must be admitted that
they are mostly guesswork. But I am strongly of the
opinion that the greatest interval the bird sings is not
over a minor third; about from D to F beyond highest C.
- Unfortunately the lower note, D, is so completely domi-
nated by a buzzing overtone that the bird’s voice seems
to many people to be pitched very low; but that burred
effect can not be substituted for a legitimate tone; the
tone is present, and it is at least approximately located
at D, a note that I can easily whistle, and, of course,
recognize although it is beyond the limit of the piano
keyboard.

I have no other types of the Golden-wing’s song,
though it is very evident others exist. Exactly what
form of song Mr. Bradford Torrey heard from his Blue
Golden-wing I am unable to imagine, but it is extremely
doubtful whether any of the forms here recorded would
correspond with his description. He says: ‘‘ The best of
the three songs of the Blue Golden-wing I have never
heard except on one occasion, but then it was repeated
for half an hour under my very eyes. It bore no re--
semblance to the common dsee, dsee, dsee, of the species,
and would appear to be seldom used; for not only have
L never heard it since, but none of the writers seem ever
to have heard it at all. However I still keep a careful
description of it, which I took down on the spot, and
which I expect some future Golden-wing to verify.” *

* Vide Birds in the Bush, page 42
108

NASHVILLE WARBLER.

Nashville This delightful little Warbler with a
Warbler jolly song and engaging, cheerful man-
eee ners, is measurably common throughout
err eee New York and New England. His color-

L. 4.75 inches ing is as refined as that of the Golden-
May 8th wing, though it is a little more pronounced
in effect. The top and sides of head blue-gray; beneath
the crown-feathers in partial concealment is a patch
of burnt sienna or chestnut feathers; upper parts
olive green; no wing-bars; lower parts beautifully
graded from pale cadmium yellow to yellow-white;
wings and tail edged with clear olive green. Female
similarly colored but the yellow not quite so bright.
Nest on the ground in brushy pastures or sparse woods;
it is built of plant fibres, moss, and rootlets, and lined
with finer material of the same nature. Egg white pro-
fusely speckled with red-brown especially at the larger
end. The bird is distributed throughout eastern North
America; it breeds from Connecticut northward, and
winters in Central America. Its favorite haunts are the
half overgrown pasture, or open woodland where the
trees are mostly very young. I recollect spending an
hour of the early morning, on the twenty-second of
May last, in the hilly pasture of the Davis place, Camp-
ton, watching no less than fifteen Nashville Warblers
joyously chasing each other about among the tops of the
young spruces and firs, and singing incessantly while on
the wing.

The song of the Nashville is a delightfully typical
one with little or no rhythmic variation so far as my
knowledge extends. Few could fail to recognize its
stereotyped character after once having had that fully
explained to them. Those who can depend upon time
beats for the recognition of a bird’s song will experience
no difficulty with the well-accented music of the Nash-
ville. I have already represented the song by dots in
the Musical Key ; it is a bit of rhythm that skips along
in a most lively fashion and ends with a ripple! Ex-
pressed by dots, it should appear thus:
or, if one preferssyllables, thus: Te-dum’, te-dum', te-dum’,

169

FAMILY Mnaiotiltide.

te-dum’', te-did-dle-te-dee! Langille compares the first
half of the song to that of the Black and White Warbler,
and the last half to that of the Chipping Sparrow, which,
as the saying goes, is not half bad! Buta full knowl-
edge of time in music,,and the comparative values of
notes, knocks all comparisons like that endways. Com
pare my notations of the Black and White Warbler’s
music with those of the Nashville, further on, and the
difference will become apparent at a glance, One bird
tsips back and forth evenly, the other does not; one
goes with a measured pace, the other, so to speak, lame-
legged! Perhaps some will think this is a bit of hair-split-
ting discrimination, but it is nothing of the kind; on the
contrary, it is a simple elucidation of one of those subtile
differences in bird songs (particularly Warbler’s songs)
upon which we must depend for a more perfect know!l-
edge of bird music. Here is my notation of the song
previously expressed in the series of dots:

Presto 3times 8va.

a a. a a.
; i | AP a
» a
_ i“ j

. Per-che perake per-che © perche per-chipy-cher pee,
There are few varieties to this form. Rev. J. H. Lan-
gille represents the song in syllables thus: “‘ Ke-tsee, ke-
tsee, ke-tsee, chip-ee-chip-ee-chip-ee-chip,” which shows
that his bird sang only three slurred double chirps, but
added two more trill notes to the tail end of the song
than my bird did. But I have also another form where
the trilled notes are low instead of high, thus:

Presto.

| SS a a aa
| [ FS ee SS |
= C

Te-dum, te-dum, te-dum, tedum, te-did-dle-te-de-de
and still another where the bird ‘‘doubled-up” on the
two first rapid trill notes in this fashion:

Presto. eee

j
a

170

NORTHERN PARULA WARBLER.

In every case the Nashville accents (i. e., goes lame-
legged on) one or the other of his slurred notes, and that
ought to be a very strong point in the identification of
the song, regardless of its unique dual character. Minot
evidently heard the accent on the first syllable instead
of the second, for he writes it: ‘‘ Wee’-see, wee'-see, wit-a-
wit-a-wit.” I remember hearing my friend Prof. J. B.
Sharland tell his quartette to sing the notes in the open-
ing bars of Rossini’s Carnovale, as they were written,
** lame-legged,” thus:

The Carnovale. Rossini.

Allegroo yw lg i
eet Cer ae ——t—
} |
| PR ak TR an # i
| Ee ” Ls ae | 28S SE 4 ad Ci + | ag

~ We are beggars struck with blind nessLiving on the rich mans kindness.

The rhythm is exactly that of the Nashville’s song!

Northern Pa- This tiny jewellike Warbler is locally
rula Warbler Common in New England. He is fre-
pa. cua quently called the Blue Yellow-backed
americana

une Warbler. His colors are a rather ex-
L. 4-72 inches traordinary combination of zsthetic tones.
May roth Crown gray-blue; upper parts blue-gray,
but middle of the back bright greenish yellow forming a
definite patch; black-gray in front of the eye; two white
wing-bars; outer tail feathers white-patched near the
tip; throat and breast yellow, the latter marked with
a burnt sienna or chestnut band in spots, the color ex-
tending to the throat, sides brownish gray. Female
similarly colored, but the chestnut necklace generally
absent. Nest built of moss, lichens, dead leaves, and
bits of twigs; it is generally constructed (at least in
mountain regions where such material is plenty) of the
long, stringy moss known as usnea, which is commonly
found suspended from the dead under-limbs of spruces
and firs. Egg white with chestnut speckles thickest at
the largerend. The birdis distributed throughout North
America as far north as Canada; it breeds locally in New
England, New York, and the States on the northern

17t

FAMILY Malotiltide.

border. It winters from Florida through the West In-
dies southward, This Warbler is a common resident of
the woodlands where there are well-grown trees of vari-
ous species. I have often seen him in the Harvard
Botanic Garden, Cambridge, in the migratory season.
The song of the Parula* Warbler is a very simple and
unassuming one. The tone of voice is exceedingly thin;
indeed, so thin that it has been described as hairlike! It
also has a slight overtone quality. The song begins
with three (sometimes two, and sometimes four) nearly
double tones best expressed with added grace notes, and
ends with three rapid tones with the effect of a trill,

thus:
sae cres, 3 times 8va.
eres tir
Pe-tse, pe-tse, pe-tse, pe-see-see

The song has been fairly well expressed by the syllables
pe-tse’, pe-tse’, pe-tse', pe-see-see, but my notation lo-
cates the tones. This is the song of one individual,
though, and I cannot promise that it is thoroughly typi-

cal. Mr. Bicknell recognizes another song which he
describes as a fine trill.

Cape May This rather rare Warbler of New Eng-
be cscnieed land is easily recognized by his chestnut
Dendroica s 3

tigrina ear-coverts. His colors are peculiar, and
L. 5-ooinches not at all brilliant; a combination of
May 15th warm yellow and browns. Top of head
black, the feathers tipped with olive green; ear-coverts
(the area back of the eye) burnt sienna or chestnut; be-
hind these a patch of warm yellow; upper back olive
green heavily streaked with black, the lower back
yellow-green; a large white area on the wing’, and on
the inner web of the outer tail feathers; under parts
warm cadmium yellow streaked with black, very much
lighter below. Female gray olive-green above, the

* Pronounced Par’-oo-la, not Par-oo’-la,
172

Parula W irbler

3
2
a
z
>
S
=
a
g
1S)

mt
>
rc

yy. i ar
x “=

CAPE MAY WARBLER.

rump yellower; a yellow line over the eye; wing coverts
tipped with dull white, under parts paler yellow streaked
with sepia. Nest semi-pensile, built of fine grasses,
twigs, and rootlets, fastened with spiders’ webs and fine
plant fibres, and lined with horse hairs; it depends from
the low branch of a tree in rather open woodlands, or
sometimes the tree is an isolated one in the field. Egg
buff white or light buff, slightly speckled with light
purple madder or umber. The range of this Warbler is
throughout eastern North America, north to Winnipeg
and Hudson’s Bay; it breeds from northern New Eng-
land north to the range limit, and winters in the West
Indies and Central America. Although this is a gen-
erally rare bird, in the migratory seasons it will not
infrequently be seen in association with some of the
distinctive woodland Warblers; in summer it will be
found among the higher branches of hemlocks, spruces,
etc., on the borders of the forest, and also among the
fruit trees of the orchard.

The song of the Cape May is similar to those of the
Black Poll and Black and White Warbler; but it is
shorter, more monotonous, and is delivered with moder-
ate speed and in softer tone of voice. As I have but one
notation it is impossible for me to say that this is
thoroughly representative:

, Three times Sva.
: 2 o-
———

pos

Prof, A. W. Butler describes the song in the following
syllables which seem to fit my notation tolerably well:
‘“‘awit-awit awit-awit-awit.” Mr. Torrey says in Spring
Notes from Tennessee: ‘‘The Magnolia and the Black-
burnian were in high feather, and made a gorgeous pair
as chance brought them side by side in the same tree.
They sang with much freedom, But the Cape Mays
kept silence, to my deep regret, notwithstanding the
philosophical remarks just now volunteered about the
advantages derivable from a bird’s gradual disclosure of
himself, . . . The Cape May’s song is next to nothing,

173

FAMILY Mnoiotiltide.

—suggestive of the Black Poll’s, I am told,—but I
would gladly have bought a ticket to hear it.”

Yellow This is one of our commonest Warblers,
Warbler and it is often, but most mistakenly,
Dendroica A ”

perce called a ‘‘ Wild Canary.” Such an egre-
L.s.10inches gious error of popular indiscrimination,
May sth however, needs no comment. The pre-

vailing color of this species is yellow throughout;
bright on the crown, greenish on the back, and brown-
ish on the tail; under parts bright yellow marked with
burnt sienna or chestnut streaks from the throat down-
ward. Female dull green-yellow; tail brown-yellow.
Nest built of fine grasses, plant fibre, and fern down,
lined with the down and sometimes horse hairs; it is
generally located in a Y branch of a shrub or tree on
a lawn or in an orchard, usually near the ground, or at
most not more than fifteen feet from it. One of the
most interesting instances of bird-nesting I have ever
known was that of a Yellow Warbler who had chosen an
upper branch of a Scotch rosebush for her dwelling, and
had arranged the nest in such a position that eventually
a large cluster of the yellow roses bloomed directly over
her head, thus effectually shielding her from observation
more by a condition of analogous coloring than by
actual interposition. The little eggs were greenish or
bluish white strongly marked with cinnamon brown.
This Warbler is distributed through North America ex-
cepting the southwestern part. It winters in Central
and the northern portion of South America.

There are several types of the Yellow Warbler’s song,
two of which are extremely common. Here is one:

eles

The notes are all of equal value, the interval is approxi-
mately a third between the fourth and fifth notes, and
the seventh (the last note) slides downward (by a slur)
apparently another third. The bird sings in presto time,
and his tones are clearly and loudly lisped at the very top
of the keyboard and perhaps three notes higher. Here
is the musical notation:

174

Semi ke

F ae. ie ei

: ed a a
a ae ya by
al Pa ?

i ‘fe
’ ‘s > “
=
n i
“ “om
.
ay
' » ‘ ea
r

| ral i
& fo a .
“9 -) - oe
or
e ot
« : Ps > = © f

Tt
te

.
B : ~
r Ms t mF ri
U 4
«
:
: “ee —
- af ~
4 ae, a
. “ 1 {
a '_ .
4 =
,
«

YELLOW WARBLER.
}

No. 1.

@= 184
Presto. 3 times 8 vz.

I do not think there is any reason to mistake that song;
itis a logical bit of even time-keeping in rapid move-
ment. The second common type I think must be the
one which various writers say resembles the Chestnut-
sided’s song (that is not my opinion, however); it can be
demonstrated this way:

There are three downward chirps of an interval approxi-
mating a fifth, then the single higher note (the half of
the chirp) followed by two notes just a third lower, then
a last highest, thus:

No. 2.

Presto
ral

=> => | >

hence

Some evidently think that all the Yellow Warbler’s
songs end on a high note, but this is not so; my records:
prove something quite the contrary. What about such
a form as this which ends about as it begins?

Presto,

oe =
and this one which likewise ends as it begins.

Presto.
LUD at 2
Ld i } oS (St a A

and yet again this one which drops to a tone lower than
the one on which it begins:

175

FAMILY Mniotlitide.

Nor must we forget my first record which shows a final
drop of fully a fifth! How to find a parallel between
any of these types and the syllables given by various au-
thors, I confess is a difficult problem; but I am disposed
to consider that one of those given by Mr. Lynes Jones is
adaptable; for instance, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet-
er, sweet-er, if the syllables of the last two words are dis-
tinctly separated, will fit song No.1. I get no further
encouragement; even the notations of Mr. Cheney on
page 47 of Wood Notes Wild do not correspond with
anything I have heard from the bird, so the evidence
goes to show that the little singer is versatile. It is
a simple matter to prove that fact. Mr. Lynes Jones
gives three forms of the song different from mine, and
Mr. Cheney three more; to these must be added all but
one of the records given here; a total of thirteen! The
songs which end with the high note are many; here
is one:

rey

r=
oN

Te.
Te,

and here is another, showing how the type remains the
same though the bird rings a change in the positions of
the last few notes:

Presto

' esl . Pe
bh ee ot Be oh BY od 2 a

These two records were taken in Cambridge and the
Arnold Arboretum between May 14 and 21, 1901, afte.
I had thought I had gauged all the possibilities of varia-
tion in the song of this species! Eventually I have had
to add still another type to my collection, whichstrangely
reverses the order of the song, thus:

476

YELLOW WARBLER,

Pres,

It is to be hoped future observations will not reveal new
forms, otherwise, one will be inclined to charge the Yel-
low Warbler with musical plagiarism! But from whom
could he steal such forms? Certainly they do not accu-
rately represent those of any other Warbler, and who
can find fault with a bird who chooses to strike out
experimentally on new lines!

The Yellow Warbler is an interesting as well as a
beautiful character; he sings early in the morning and
late in the afternoon, he is quick in his motions, even
more rapid in song, charming in his almost fearless man-
ners, and marvellous in his sagacity, for not infrequently
the wise little creature outwits the miserable Cowbird,
and builds a new nest over the one in which the strange
egg has been surreptitiously deposited. I quote from
William Hamilton Gibson an amusing account of an
extreme instance: ‘‘ Have we fully examined this nest
of our Yellow Warbler? Even now the lower section
seems more bulky than the normal nest should be. Can
we not trace still another faint outline of a transverse
division in the fabric about an inch below the one al-
ready separated? Yes; it parts easily with a little dis-
entangling of the fibres, and another spotted egg is
seen within. A three-storied nest! A nest full of sto-
ries—certainly. I recently read of a specimen contain-
ing four stories, upon the top of which downy pile the
little Warbler sat like Patience on a monument, pre-
sumably smiling at the discomfiture of the outwitted
Cowbird parasite, who had thus exhausted her powers
of mischief for the season, and doubtless convinced her-
self of the folly of ‘ putting all her eggs in one basket.’”

The voice of this Warbler is loud and exceedingly
penetrating. Travelling in an express train over the
Boston and Albany Railroad, I have more than once
clearly distinguished the song as it slipped in through
the ventilators of the car, and really dominated the din

of the train.
a

177

FAMILY Mnaiotiltide.

Black-throated This bird represents an esesthetic combi-
esses irik bler nation of such ordinary colors as black,
cerulescens, lue, and white, the black and white tones
L.5.20inches predominating. Upper parts gray-blue
May 1oth with black washings on the back; sides
of the head, region of the eye, throat, and sides of the
body black; the bases of the primary wing feathers
white, forming a conspicuous wing-bar; inner webs of
the outer tail feathers with more or less white at their
tips; wings and tail edged with blue. Female with a
substitution of dull olive green for the blue of the male;
the tail with a bluer tinge; the white patches on tail and
wings scarcely apparent; region of the eye brown-gray;
lower parts pale olive gray on the sides and dull yellow-
buff below. Nest usually near the ground, in the un-
derbrush of thick woods; it is built of bark, grasses,
pine-needles, etc., and lined with fine plant fibres and
rootlets; it is never over two feet from the woodland
floor. Egg dull pearl or gray white with varied brown
markings mostly at the larger end. This Warbler is
found throughout North America; it breeds from New
England northward to Labrador, and winters in the
West Indies and Central America.

The Black-throated Blue is a bird with a characteristic
but not a soul-inspiring song. His is an effort withouta
tune; a sound comparable to an accidental scraping of
the bow over the “‘ cello” strings with the musical tone
somewhat decimated. The song is generally described
in syllables, thus: zwee-zwee-zwee-e. John Burroughs
writes it, ‘‘ twea-twea-tweaee” and says it goes with an
‘*upward slide and the peculiar z-ing of summer insects,
but not destitute of a certain plaintive cadence. It is
one of the most languid, unhurried sounds in all the
woods. I feel like reclining upon the dry leaves at
once. Audubon says he has never heard his love-song;
but this is all the love-song he has.” That, for a word
description of the music, is about as near the truth as it
is possible for one to approach. The song is short and
deliberate, and the extremely high tone is dominated by
a correspondingly low overtone—the buzz which Mr.
Burroughs likens to the z-ing of an insect. I must imi-

178

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER.

tate that, of course, by simultaneously humming and
whistling through the teeth. The range of voice is evi-
dently comprehended by a fifth interval, and commonly
by afourth. There are three, four, and sometimes five
ascending notes to the song (commonly four), but these
are so closely run together—i. e., slurred, that their in-
dividuality is lost; by lines, the song should appear
thus:

In musical notation it should appear thus:
Jtoderato. ..3 times 8va. J pn

IA
]
Gad

And that covers the ground, so far as type is concerned.
I have another common form which shows that the bird
is capable of variation both as to length of note and
expression:

eres. S£ !
Ww We Ww iw a
in. LX
gay : rE. Fr
AL “ i |
y

Also Mr. Lynes Jones makes mention of several render-
ings which suggest some difference with the foregoing
notations, one is chweu-chweu-chweu with each syllable
uniform, and another is we-we-z-z-2-2-z-z with a harsh
and penetrating accent. But I question whether such
variations would cause any trouble in the identification
of the song; all writers seem to agree that it begins
pianissimo and ends with a shrill fortissimo, and it only
remains for me to add that it is completely off the
keyboard of the piano, notwithstanding its low-pitched
overtone.

The Black-throated Blue is essentially a woodland bird,
but he frequently visits the roadside and the vicinity of
dwellings. He is also a fearless little fellow, compara-
. tively speaking, not altogether free from consuming

179

PAMILY Moiotiltide,

curiosity, On one occasion I had the pleasure of seeing
him hop to within three inches of my shoe in a persist-
ent endeavor to find out whether I was myself a bird or
held one captive. Of course, I was conversing with him
in his own language, but I have not an idea what we
talked about!

Myrtle The Myrtle or Yellow-rumped Warbler
be hogs ened is a frequent visitor of the grounds about
ie aial the house in Apriland May. He is plainly,
L. 5.65 inches not conspicuously, marked, with excellent
April 20th, points which serve for his identification.
orallthe year There is a yellow patch on crown and
rump, and another on either side of the breast; upper
parts blue-gray streaked with black; two white wing-
bars; the cuter tail feathers have white spots on their in-
ner vanes near the tips; throat white, and upper breast
heavily streaked with black which lessens as it reaches
the lower parts; these are white. Female similarly
marked, but with less black below, and with sepia brown
above. Nest of moss, rootlets, and vegetable fibres,
lined with fine grasses, generally situated in evergreen
trees, five to nine feet above the ground. Egg gray or
pearl white, spotted with various browns. The range of
this bird extends throughout North America east of the
Rockies. It breeds in the northern States and north-
ward, and winters from southern New England to
Panama. The species is a hardy one. The birds are
particularly fond of the bayberry (Myrica cerifera), and
will remain during the autumn season a long time
where that favorite food is plentiful. Mr. Ned Dear-
born writes: ‘‘ A fortunate versatility of appetite enables
them to change their diet when the supply of insects
wanes. Their chief food while in Durham consists of
bayberries, Stomachs of late spring and early fall speci-
mens contain little besides insects; but nearer the ex-
tremities of winter, these berries are eaten to a great
extent. After the arrival of the large flocks in the fall,
they almost constantly remain in the vicinity of patches
of bayberry bushes.” These remarks would apply with
equal truth to the birds which visit Martha’s Vineyard

180

MAGNOLIA WARBLER.

and Nantucket, many of which remain through the
winter. .

The Myrtle Warbler is an indifferent songster. His
call-note is a familiar and characteristically staccato
tchip, and his song is not unlike that of the Chipping
Sparrow, a monotonous, wiry, and thin tswe, tswe, tswe,
tswe, tswe, etc., pitched beyond the keyboard limit, thus:

eres.
. . e

| i =

ree times 8va,

This is the only record I possess of this Warbler’s song;
consequently 1 can not promise that it is an absolutely
typical specimen. Possibly other birds might sing in
a way that would prove this theme had its variations,
but I have my doubts about that.

Magnolia This is another streaky-marked bird
bidendens: which is easily identified. His less com-
endroica .

wiabaiiabiiete mon name is the Black and Yellow

L.5.10inches Warbler and he may be esthetically con-
May 15th sidered a color symphony in those two
contrasting tones. Crown ashen gray bordered by a
narrow line of white, a decidedly bluer gray in spring
specimens; the forehead and sides of the face well below
and back of the eye black; upper parts black bordered
with olive green; lower parts, throat, and rump bright
yellow; breast and sides strongly striped with black;
tail black with the inner vanes of all except the middle
feathers white-patched midway, leaving the terminal
third black; a large white patch on the wing-coverts.
Female similarly marked but the colors duller and less
sharply defined. Nest generally in evergreen-trees, built
of fine twigs, leaf stems, moss, and rootlets, lined with
finer material of the same nature; it is generally from
three to six feet above the ground. Egg white marked
about the larger end with cinnamon brown and olive
brown. This bird is common throughout eastern North
America; it breeds from northern New England and
Michigan north to Hudson’s Bay, and south along the

181

FAMILY Mniotiltide.

crests of the Alleghanies to Virginia, Scott says he
found the birds breeding at Mountain Lake, Giles Co.,
Virginia (the altitude of which is over four thousand
feet), in the summer of 1889.

The song of the Magnolia is loud, clear, slightly like
that of the Yellow Warbler so far as tone is concerned,
and unique in the arrangement of the (generally) seven
notes. The first four have a rising inflection, or an in-
definite upward progression to the extent of a fourth in-
terval, and among the next three the middle one is the
highest; the song begins loud and ends with a diminu-
endo, thus:

Cama, Sot

7 > dim 8
That is the form which I know best, and here it is
according to my notation:

Vixace St 3times 8va. ia

J | et i ie

Once in a while a very indistinct high note is added
to this form. Here is another common form which I
think fits Rev. J. H. Langille’s syllables exceedingly
well, though possibly it is not exactly the song he
heard:

Vivace dim.

Here is also another which fits one of Mr. 8. E. White’s
series of syllables (see the Auk) perfectly:

vi dim

Ni ~~! S| | }
™ ™

There are probably five or six forms of the song, but
I have none other than the three foregoing ones. It
is evident from these and the testimony of several writ-

182

~CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER.

ers that the song nearly always ends with a falling
inflection of the voice. Mr. White records a falsetto
warble, purr-a-e whu-a which I have never heard.

The Magnolia’s summer home is among the evergreen-
trees, and he may easily be found among the firs and
hemlocks of old overgrown pastures, ever on the move;
and seldom flying higher than the top of one’s head..
The species is a regular summer resident in parts of the
White Mountains.

Chestnut-sided This handsome little bird is one of our
edema commonest Warblers, and next to the
pensylvanica Yellow Warbler the most familiar and in-
L. 5.10 inches teresting one though he is by no means as
May 8th musical as the Black-throated Green. He
is quickly identified by his costume. Top of head bright
yellow bordered on the sides with black; a band of black,
beginning between the eye and the bill, extends down-
ward on either side of the throat; the sides of the face,
_ the throat, and under parts are white; sides burnt sienna
or chestnut; back of the neck streaked with black and
gray; lower back black striped with greenish yellow;
wings with two yellow-white bars; tail black with the
inner vanes of the outer feathers white-patched near the
tip. Female similar in markings but duller in color.
Nest usually in a low bush; it is built of plant fibre,
bark, rootlets, and leaf stems, and lined with finer ma-
terial of the same nature. Egg white marked with
cinnamon brown and olive brown mainly at the larger
end. This bird is distributed through eastern North
America as far north as Newfoundland and Manitoba.
It breeds from northern New Jersey and Illinois north-
ward, and along the Alleghanies south to South Carolina;
it winters in Central America. Its chosen haunts are the
overgrown pasture where bushes are plenty, bushy road-
sides, the borders of woodlands.

The Chestnut-sided Warbler has several forms of song,
and it requires a discriminating ear to distinguish one
of the commonest from that of the Yellow Warbler, the
notation of which I have marked No. 2. But a careful
comparison of these songs will show that there is no

183

PAMILY Mniotiltide.,

need whatever of getting them confused. Here is one
of those distinctions again which possibly some one may
be inclined to classify among the hair-splitting order; if
so, I must say it will be wholly because insufficient
attention is paid to those graphic signs belonging to
musical notation which a child could understand! Com-
pare my notations. Here is the Chesnueaiaes War-
bler’s song in dots:. * .°* .°* . 6 a
here it is in easily obtained musical form:

Presto,, 3 times 8va cres

/ wish, Bsn, I a, to see JMiss

To use a trite saying, the difference between this and the
Yellow Warbler song No. 2 is as’ plain as the nose on
your face! One bird chirps up, the other down, for the
first three or four double notes, then one bird sings
a group of notes down, up, and down, and the other,
vice versa (with absolute distinctness) up, down, and up!
There is a slight hesitancy which one merely suspects in
the Chestnut-sided’s effort just before he reaches the
group of the three final notes, so this I have properly in-
dicated by the very short rest. Thus, we have, I be-
lieve, a perfectly simple analysis of a certain difference
between two similar songs, which, for one reason o
another, the ornithologists have been unable to give us.
I need not add that without musical notation it would
be practically impossible to prove the case. So much for
the usefulness of scientific music in its relation to a bird’s
song!

It is generally true that the song of the Chestnut-sided
consists of seven (Mr. Jones seems to thinks sia) syllables;
but once in a while the little fellow disregards the rule
and sings on this wise:

Presto R - eres. ‘ae
7
Sy A A ) rt ;
Chu-it, chu-it, chu-it, chuit wit chu-it f

184

Jg[qieAy pepts-jnuysoyD JaqieM poysvoiq-Avg

CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER,

in that case he is practically rounding out the song with-
out the suspicion of the pause noted in my previous
record, Here isanother form in which he retains both
pause and extra note:
Presto.

CIOS. Kp- J. Cee

These are subtle differences which only a quick ear can
detect and musical notation accurately express! As
I have said in the beginning of this book, time is an all-
important element of music, and there is no denying the
fact that it occupies a very important place in precisely
this part of the Chestnut-sided’s song. Often when time
is not concerned with difference in bird song, this differ-
ence becomes apparent in a certain method of delivery.
For instance, the following transcription was obtained in
Campton, June 26, 1899:

Presto. Cres. § ff

Nearly a year later, May 23, 1900, practically the same
song was differently rendered by another bird in Arling-
ton Heights, Mass., fully one hundred and thirty miles
farther south; this song is my first notation herewith.
A comparison of the two records will show that one bird
pitched his first four notes higher than the other bird
and at the same time slurred each one. But these fine
points do not represent the only variations in this War-
bler’s song; there are some uncommon forms which
doubtless should be referred to eccentric individuals.
Here is one which came from a bird which also sang
the form which I have at first given:

Presto.

Che-ne, we, we, we, che-we-o

This type is so nearly like one belonging to the Yellow
185

FAMILY Mnaoiotiltide,

Warbler that it is difficult to tell where the difference
lies; but a certain hesitancy near the end of the Chest-
nut-sided’s song usually betrays its author. Here again
is another variation which shows that the bird had
revised almost the whole structure of the typical song,
and, regardless of the whole tribe of Warblers with all
their musical traditions, had decided like the wilful
Scotchman to “‘ gang his ain gait”:

Presto. eres, —_—_—~

A s a] a |

I might say now, with Mr, Cheney, ‘‘ match that if you
can!”

The voice of the Chestnut-sided Warbler is only mod-
erately clear, and is therefore far less penetrating than
that of the Yellow Warbler. Such a tone, too, implied
by the syllable chew or cher, reveals a quality sus-
piciously near the overtone. But, as a matter of fact,
there is no real overtone present in any of the bird’s
notes. In a great number of the songs there are only
six syllables, but these do not otherwise differ from the
common type as I have represented it here. Miss Ethel
Dame Roberts’s “‘ tsee, tsee, tsee, Happy to meet you!”
is analogous to another popular saying of the bird, I
wish, I wish, to see Miss Beecher! If there is any one
who can whistle that lady’s name better than the Chest-
nut-sided Warbler he must be a ventriloquist of excep-
tional ability!

Bay-breasted This Warbler is a rather uncommon bird

2 cbeant seen only during its passage to and from
ae saa its home in the extensive coniferous for-

L. 5.7oinches estsof Canada. The year of the great mi-
May 20th gration, 1899, probably saw more of this
species in unexpected places than any records will ever
show. The bird is beautifully marked, in colors not un-
like those of the Orchard Oriole. Crown, and entire
throat, breast, and sides rich burnt sienna or chestnut,

186

B8LACK-POLL WARBLER,

lighter or darker; forehead and cheeks black; a pale buff
patch on the sides of the neck; back ash gray streaked
with black; two white wing-bars, and a patch of white
on the inner vanes of the outer tail feathers near the tip;
under parts white suffused with buff. Female with the
crown olive green streaked with black and possibly
‘chestnut; only a suggestion of chestnut on the throat
and sides; otherwise duller in color than the male. In
autumn male, female, and young birds almost exactly
resemble the Black-poll Warbler, except the lighter
green upper parts and the buff tone of the lower parts.
Nest in evergreen-trees and situated at a Y branch from
five to twenty feet above the ground; it is built of
grasses and plant fibres, and lined with hairs and plant
down. Egg white finely marked with cinnamon brown
and olive brown mainly at the larger end. The range
of this bird is through eastern North America north to
Hudson’s Bay; it breeds from northern New England
north, and winters in Central America.

The Bay-breasted Warbler’s song is still an enigma to
me. The only time I ever saw the handsome little fel-
low he would not sing. Rev. J. H. Langille writes:
‘‘Their song, said to begin like that of the Black-poll
and end like that of the Redstart, bears to my ear no re-
semblance whatever to either, but is a very soft warble,
somewhat resembling the syllables tse-chee, tse-chee, tse-
chee, tse-chee, tse-chee, but far too liquid to admit of
exact spelling.” Mr. Torrey thinks the song resembles
that of the Black-poll, but says it is hardly so weak and
formless.

Black-poll This somewhat common bird resembles
diag ih the Black and White Warbler in color,

aiken but its markings are altogether different.
L. 5.50 inches Crown black; sides of the head white; up-
May 15th per parts gray streaked with black; two
white wing-bars, and the inner vanes of the outer tail
feathers with white patches on the tip; under parts
white streaked with black, the streaks conspicuous on
the gray-white sides. Female olive green above streaked
with black; under parts yellowish white. Nest in ever-

187

PAMILY Mnaiotiltida.,

green-trees, and situated not more than six feet above
the ground; it is built of twigs, moss, and rootlets, and
lined with fine grasses. Egg white heavily spotted on
the larger end with madder brown, cinnamon brown,
and olive. The range of the bird is through eastern
North America and northward; it breeds from New
England northward to Greenland and Alaska, and win-
ters in northern South America.

The Black-poll Warbler has a very thin voice and a
monotonous song nearly confined to one tone, and re-
sembling the rather more musical effort of the Myrtle
Warbler. The notes are slightly characterized by an
overtone, but are too stridulent in quality to possess any
musical merit. Here is one of the only two records I
possess:

aires Pines eres. w dim.

The song begins with a crescendo and a slight diminu-
endo almost immediately succeeds. There is another
form, which tolerably represents the syllables ‘‘ tsip, tsip,
tsip, tsee, tsee, te” of Mr. Lynes Jones. But I can not
see that this differs materially from the form given in
my first notation :

crés.

This warbler is a distinctive woodland character often
heard rather than seen in the forests of the White Moun-
tains, and partial to the upper branches of the trees,
though he not infrequently visits the ground, My own
observations in this respect are sustained by those of Mr,
Torrey, who says he saw some feeding upon a lawn for
a long time, during his visit to Chattanooga.*

* Vide Spring Notes from Tennessee, page 96.
188

Black-poll Warbler

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER.

Blackburnian This may be justly considered the most
marble beautifully colored bird belonging to the
Dendroica ¢ ° :
blackburnie Family of Warblers, and it certainly can
L. 5.25 inches not be counted an uncommon one.* Mid-
May 15th dle of the head, a band over each eye
extending well back, a patch behind the black ear-
coverts, the throat, and breast, all brilliant cadmium
orange; the rest of the head and the back black, the back
streaked with cream white; wings black with white
coverts forming a conspicuous patch; the inner vanes of
most of the tail feathers white; the outer vane of the
outer tail feather white at the base; under parts yellow
white-tinged; sides streaked with black. Female marked
like the male, but the orange extremely dull, and the
upper parts gray olive streaked with dull white. Nest
from ten to thirty (sometimes more) feet above the
ground in evergreen-trees; it is built of fine twigs and
grasses, and lined with moss, tendrils, fine rootlets, etc.
Egg gray or pearl white thickly speckled with cinna-
mon brown and olive. The bird is found throughout
eastern North America; it breeds from Minnesota and.
Maine north to Labrador, and south along the Allegha-
nies to South Carolina; it winters in the tropics. It
prefers the coniferous woods where hemlock and spruce
are plenty.

‘The song of the Blackburnian Warbler is a distinctly
characteristic one; there are about three double chirps,
succeeded by as many ascending notes with a distinct
overtone, thus:

Pipace. rs 3 times Oya. nnn |
Zillup zillup,zillup, zip-zip2ip.
The tone of voice is wiry and thin, and the delivery is
rapid. It would be difficult to get this song confused
with thatof any other Warbler, if strict attention is paid

to its dual character. Mr. Torrey describes the song by
the syllables *‘ zillup, zillup, zillup, zip, zip, zip,” which,

* Mr. Ned Dearborn reports seeing not less than six in the same
tree at once, in the vicinity of Durham, N. H.

189

FAMILY Mniotiltide,

it will be seen, exactly fit my notation; consequently, 1
suspect the bird has few if any variations to his song.
Mr. Minot describes a form by syllables which may be
slightly different: ‘‘ wee-see-wee-see, tsee-see, tsee, tsee,
tsee-see tsee, tsee,” but it is perhaps only a double form,
if I read the two hyphened syllables tsee-see aright;
naturally, I take them to be given quicker than the
others,

Black-throated This is one of our commoner Warblers,

pa Warbler and by all odds the finest singer of the
endroica

brent whole group. At best his song is exceed-
L.s.10inches ingly brief and high-pitched, and his
May 5th voice is thin; but one entertains little

doubt about his intervals; they are tolerably good, and
greatly help to make the well-marked rhythm attractive.
The bird is also beautifully colored. Top of head and
region nearly down to the shoulders yellow-green; a bar
over the eye, the sides of the face and neck bright yel-
low; back olive green rarely black-spotted; ear-coverts
dusky yellow; throat and breast jet black; two white
wing-bars on each wing; the inner vanes of outer tail-
feathers entirely white, the outer web with a white
base; under parts white sometimes suffused with pale
yellow. Female similarly marked but the black largely
reduced by yellow and rendered dusky. Nest in ever-
green-trees and situated from ten to forty feet above the
ground; it is built of fine twigs, rootlets, moss, and
grasses, and lined with finer material of the same
nature. Egg white spotted with umber and olive
mostly at the larger end. The bird is distributed
throughout eastern North America; it breeds from
Connecticut north to Hudson’s Bay, and at high eleva-
tions of the Alleghanies south to South Carolina. Its
favorite tree is the pine, although it may be found in the
deciduous woods quite frequently.

The song of the Black-throated Green Warbler is dis-
tinguished for its suggestive rhythm and its deliberate
tempo. This bird is not in such a hurry as the others of
the family, and his voice possesses the pleasing variety _
of contrast in tone. Of the usual five notes which he

Igo ‘

JaIQIeEM UseIH p

338

O1l}-OVTT

Ja[qiveA URIUINGHIeTY_

ro 4 ee &
Fat ae

-
ef : ri. ~ - ; ; ; veo, fh
- LN et Ae ws oe Sy

y= aoe me Pa rh ie4 o
Fa. hat) ya . ‘ ae y . ox ‘ Pie ¥ ~~) er. 3 . |
i ae ey : , nl ae > AP i de _*
n Se ae ONY ayo ; + ; es ae ‘ tg
oh ; , tia ‘

alo —s..

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

sings the two next to the last are burred, the others are
clear. Mr. John Burroughs writes the song by a series
of lines thus: __. ——— V —— which form, so far as it
will answer the purpose of identification, can not be im-
proved upon. But I shall always hold the opinion that
a representation of sound, not to speak of song—wild or
cultivated,—by other than scientific music signs, is an ex-
tremely dubious method of conveying ideas. For that

reason, I have taken particular pains throughout this
book to show the parallels of haphazard symbols and
exact musical notations. The foregoing signs, there-
fore are properly interpreted this way:

P] = Twice &i > A

iv ae ak oe ee f

I
Trees, trees murmiring trees,

mp, Cres ff
Desires
wk oe
3 —
4+

I have added the popular idea about the sentiment of a
song; that will certainly help to emphasize the rhythm.
If you whistle this song between the teeth, and burr the
two notes next to the last by humming and whistling
simultaneously, you will obtain a very tolerable idea of
the Black-throated Green’s song. It is surely un-
necessary to add that the song must be whiStled in the
high register where it belongs in accordance with the
instruction on my record, or one will not get a proper
impression of it.

The song of this Warbler is really not without senti-
ment if one is caught in the proper mood, as the follow-
ing form, obtained on one of the foot-hills of the
Franconia Mountains, and the very common instance
connected with it will testify. The day was a brilliant
one of early June; the cumulus clouds lay piled away
up in the north over the blue and jagged horizon line
formed by Lafayette, the Notch, and Cannon Mountain;
below, in the broad sunlit valley, the beautiful Pemige-

Pee )

FAMILY Mniotiltide.

wasset wound its silvery way between the wooded hills
and the spreading green intervale; the little hill on
which I stood was carpeted with the rich rusty-brown
pine needles of past seasons, and here and there a gray
lichen-covered boulder cropped out from among the
green ferns and the forest’s russet floor. It was indeed
a lovely spot. Some bright-faced, appreciative girl
would have said, had she been present, ‘‘ What a sweet
place for a picnic!” Perhaps I thought so too, for, at
the moment, I heard, among the green, swaying, sighing
pine branches overhead, a tiny bird distinctly sing:

Twice 8va.

diesce ba a ¢ ef

in f 1 |
1°) +

YU ss
Vo!
oO

"Tis ‘tis tid sweet here.
mp. eres. Po

This, then, is a second frequent song of the Black-
throated Green. Here is another rendering of the same
song; it comprises a major third, instead of a minor
third like the other, and one more note is added:

*
V7 ace. 3 limes 8va.

K . cres. J ww >
Z |
a

TAy . :
J i 1 i i
~/ a_i J . J ,

This came from the Arnold Arboretum. Here is yet
another similar song from Arlington Heights, Mass.,
which is exactly like the record given by Mr. Cheney:

Vivace. r,

oe Sea cen foe

This, he likens to a bar of the familiar old sea song Lar-
board Watch in which the notes are dotted; that, how-

Ig2

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER.

ever, is the only difference between the two bits of
melody:

rit

! |
Lar-board watch Pai-hoy!

Then, again, I have an excellent song from Campton
which suggests the one that the gastronomic observer
set to strange, unbirdlike sentiments!

Vixece. og $——~
SZ j i —- —-—
a —————
Cheese, cheese, a little more cheese!

Perhaps there is a syllable wanting, butI find the Black-
throated Green is not at all particular about syllables;
in fact, he is not half so particular in observing them as
the bird student is in limiting him to a certain number,
for on May 6, 1902, at ten o’clock in the morning, I heard
him singing amid the thick branches of a Norway spruce
on the grounds of the Harvard Astronomical Observatory
in Cambridge, this next sarcastic refrain, in more syl-
lables than the law allowed! All but the music was
imagination, but why did such an unusual song fit such
significant words, in precisely this situation?

Vives @ Se FERS

7 Sweeping skies witha spy-glass!

Evidently the Black-throated Green is not inclined to
confine himself to one strict form either of time or
melody. Besides the foregoing records, here are a
sufficient number of others to prove the fact. Not in-
frequently he burrs the first two notes and clearly
whistles the others, thus reversing his usual custom:

WiKaCes Warr cres. ¥ ww
cy

eSaa eae

FAMILY Mnaoiotiltide.

Again he will clearly enunciate three syllables in that
part of the song (commonly burred) immediately pre-
ceding the last note, thus:

Probably this form is the one to which were originally
applied the words, trees, trees, murmuring trees, and
cheese, cheese, a little more cheese! But I am confident
that the bird’s commonest form of rhythm consists of
but two rapid syllables preceding the last one. I say
rapid because if one will strictly observe the bird’s time
it will be found that he sings these two or sometimes
three notes in a space of time exactly equivalent to that
of one of the other notes. And yet there are those who
insist that a bird has no conception of rhythm! There’
are, then, entirely aside from melodic variation, four
distinct rhythmic forms to this Warbler’s song; here
they are:

) e ° ee . Trees, trees, murm’-
ring trees!

ee Ne ee lee 8 Sleep, sleep, pretty
one, sleep!

3. 6) Hor. Si itet te i be Larboard watch a-
hoy! or ’T is, ’t is, ’t is sweet here!

4. © © «© e+ « «+ Sweeping skies with
a spy-glass {

Pine Warbler This bird has the Creeper’s habit of cling-

Dendroica ing to the branches or trunk of a tree. It
ence inches 18 @ fairly abundant Warbler, but is one of
April 15th decidedly local proclivities; it is scarcely

found outside of the pine grove. The colors are
not striking. Upper parts olive slightly suffused with
gray; wings brownish gray tinged with olive, and
with lighter edgings of gray; two dull white wing-
bars; inner vanes of the outer tail feathers with white
patches near the tip; throat and sides bright cadmium
yellow fading into white on the under parts; sides of

194

Redstart Pine Warbler
(above) (below)

YELLOW RED-POLL.

breast and region below the eye slightly black-striped,
the stripes sometimes extending to the sides, Female
similarly marked but much duller in color; the tone of
the back browner. Nest in pines, cedars, or other ever-
green-trees; it is usually situated more than twenty-five
feet above the ground, and is built of bark, leaves, plant
fibres, etc. Egg white with red-brown and umber mark-
ings mostly at the larger end. This bird is distributed
throughout eastern North America; it is a resident of
the great pine forests of the southern States; it winters
from Illinois and the Carolinas southward.

The song of the Pine Warbler is a simple so-called
trill—a reiterated note, with an exceedingly high pitch
like that of the Chipping Sparrow. His voice is more
musical, and his tones are sharp and clear, without a
suggestion of the overtone; the song should appear thus:

. 3 times Sra.
Vivace TeceL.

A simple, short, rather musical one, but according to my
observations without the shadow of a variation. Iam
ynot sure, though, that this bird does not vary his song;
the Chippy does, and why should not he? My notations
are extremely meagre, as well as similar, so I can not
promise that there are not variations of the type.

Yellow Red- This Warbler according to Mr. Chap-
poll. Yellow nan is a renegade Dendroica who is in-
Palm Warbler .. :
Dendroica pal- “ifferent to the wood and has no particular
marum hypo- liking for even the trees in the open. The
chrysea _ last time I saw him he was wagging his
i. 0 tail in a tree by the roadside in the Mid-
dlesex Fells, just north of Boston, entirely
disdainful of my chirpings put forth in a vain effort to
induce him to ‘tune up.” In colors, he is a bit attrac-
tive though not startling. Crown chestnut; back olive
green with a brownish tone, greener on the rump; no
wing-bars; the inner vanes of the outer tail feathers

195

FAMILY Maiotiltide.

with white patches near the tip; eye-ring and a line over
the eye yellow; lower parts bright cadmium yellow
throughout; throat, breast, and sides streaked with bright
burnt sienna or chestnut. Female similarly marked,
Nest on the ground or near it; usually built of coarse
grasses lined with finer ones. This bird is common in
eastern North America and breeds from Nova Scotia
north to Hudson’s Bay; it migrates southward through
the Atlantic States, and winters in the south Atlantic
and Gulf States,

The song of the Yellow Red-poll is described as a sim-
ple trill like that of the Chipping Sparrow; but as I have
always failed to discover the bird in a singing mood, I
doubt whether his song is very often (in this part of the
country) placed on the spring program. The colors of
the Yellow Red-poll are very pretty, though, and his
migratory visits so very common that I have ventured
to include him in my list with the hope that at some
future day he may be found with a voice. The tail is
incessantly bobbing, so I do not doubt that he can keep
time, and as wall, perhaps, as a drum-major!

Prairie This is one of the tiniest and most de-

Warbler lightful common Warblers, with a charac-
Dendroica ar : ‘
bikastoe teristic song which runs up the chromatic

L.4-75inches scale. Only one other Warbler’s voice is
May toth like it in this respect, and that belongs
to the Black-throated Blue. The Prairie Warbler is
tastefully but not conspicuously dressed. Upper parts
olive green, with the back considerably spotted with
burnt sienna or chestnut; wings and tail brownish
olive; a single light buff-yellow wing-bar on each wing;
inner webs of the outer tail feathers white almost to the
tip; a bar of yellow above, another below the eye; in
front of and behind the eye black; a broad black stripe
extends from the corner of the bill across the cheek; the
yellow sides are conspicuously barred with black; under
parts light yellow, Female similarly marked, but duller
in color and with little or no chestnut on the back.
Nest in briers or other tangled bushes or young cedars in
partly open ground; it is built of plant fibres and plant

196

Prairie Warbler Yellow Red-poll
(above) (below)

_ down, and lined with caterpillar’s silk and the fine fibre
of grape-vine bark. Egg white spotted at the larger
end with a variety of browns. This bird is distributed
(perhaps unevenly) over the eastern United States; it
breeds from Florida to Michigan and southern New Eng-
land, and winters in Florida and the West Indies. Un-
like most of the Wood Warblers, it frequents open places
and bushy fields or clearings.

The song of the Prairie is a delightful little bit of a

_ chromatic run, consisting of six or seven notes, all char-
acterized by a distinct overtone, thus:

3times 8yva.

Vivace accel.
i.
cid al "Z
T Z
— A

The time is moderate and slightly accelerated, all the
notes are closely connected, and there is a perceptible
drop of a semitone at the close of thesong. At the same
time the song is not like the harsh-toned one of the Black-
throated Blue; the voice has a higher pitch, a far more
lively movement, and it does not remind one of the
mournful refrain of the young turkey as does the voice
of the other bird.

Oven-bird This is the noisiest and least musical

ees Warbler in the whole family; nothing less
oat than a double forte mark will express his
Seiurus emphatic accents in musical notation.

aurocapillus That character of his song ought to be
L. 6.20inches sufficient for its immediate identification
Maye Ors without a further description of its swing-
ing tones. The colors of the bird are not unlike those
of a Thrush, hence the popular name. Crown striped,
the centre golden ochre bounded on either side by black;
the upper parts generally light, brownish, olive green;
no wing-bars nor tail patches; under parts white with
strong sepia-black markings beginning at the corners of

197

FAMILY Mnaiotiltide,

the bill and extending downward either side of the
throat to the heavily streaked breast; sides also streaked
with sepia-black. Female similarly marked. Nest on
the ground, bulky, and built in the shape of a primeval
oven, covered, and open on one side; it is built of leaves,
bark, grasses, and plant fibre, and lined with fine
grasses and rootlets; it is generally situated in an open
place just within or near the woods. Egg white
speckled with a variety of ruddy browns. This bird is
commonly distributed throughout eastern North Amer-
ica; it breeds from Kansas and Virginia northward to
Manitoba and Labrador, and southward along the
higher Alleghanies to South Carolina; it winters from
Florida to the West Indies and Central America. The
bird is a walker, and it has a characteristic way of wag-
ging its tail as it walks.

The Oven-bird is a songster of indifferent merit; the
remarkable musical effort that has been attributed to him
while on the wing fails to impress one with its beauty
from a musical point of view. Mr. Bicknell describes it
as bursting forth ‘‘ with a wild out-pouring of intricate
and melodious song,” and Dr. Coues calls it a *‘ luxuri-
ous, nuptial song.” It has the effect, in a very great
measure, of the Bobolink’s spontaneous outburst, but it
has neither the force nor the tinkling glass quality of
that remarkable musician’s song. Here is the best of a
half-dozen transcriptions I have made:

Leal Queecher, weet aieaetie

The structure is slightly similar to that of the song of
the Warbling Vireo, but there the similarity ends. It is
really remarkable for its spontaneity and exuberance;
beyond that I do not think it can be called extraordi-
nary, as it certainly carries with it no suggestion
of melody. The identification of the song is beyond
any possibility of a doubt; listen attentively, and if you
hear a wild, lawless kind of a song immediately suc-

198

— i tage re ae

Maryland Yellow-throat Oven-bird
(above) (below)

wot ems es 7

OVEN-BIRD.

ceeded by a more moderate form of the noisy queecher,
queecher, queecher, queecher, queecher of the Oven-bird,
do not doubt for a moment that it is this fellow alone
who has sung the whole song; the time, most likely,
will be late afternoon just when the other birds are be-
ginning to sing vespers! Mr. Torrey says, describing
the song, the bird ‘‘takes to the air (usually starting
from a tree-top, although I have seen him rise from the
ground), whence, after a preliminary chip, chip, he lets
fall a hurried flood of notes, in the midst of which can
usually be distinguished his familiar weechee, weechee,
weechee.” But whether these syllables occur most
frequently in the middle or at the close of the song
is an indifferent matter; it is sufficiently to the point
to know that they are bound to occur. They have
been excellently represented by Mr. Burroughs, on this
wise:

Teacher, teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, TEACHER.

Naturally we would accent that word on the first sylla-
ble, but I will leave it with any acute observer to say
whether Iam not right in insisting that the bird does
nothing of the kind, but on the contrary lays particular
stress on the second sylluble,* thus: TEA-CHER’.
** Here,” I imagine some one will say, ‘‘is another of his
hair-splitting differences!” Yet, for all that, I presume
it will be admitted that one can not be too accurate in
the statement of fact, and it goes without saying, facts
must be carefully presented in their relation to bird
music otherwise they may prove valueless. Musically
considered that accent on the second syllable is of the
greatest importance, for it enables me to express with
perfect ease and accuracy the character of the Oven-
bird’s peculiarly noisy song; also, the slurs and the re-
markable crescendo are so pronounced, that, regardless
of tone or pitch, it is difficult to understand how the

*I notice Mr. Cheney’s notation places the accent on the /jirst
syllable ; but I am confident that the second syllable is the stronger
one, and that a more extended study of the song by Mr. Cheney
would have resulted in a shift of his accent,®

199

FAMILY Maiotiltide.

bird’s song can be adequately represented without musi-
cal notation. Here it is*:

Sforzando. mp. aes It Wid
: >_@\> _@\>_@\>" @\>_@\>_@\>
ae | | i BLE |

lf
+ —. _ _ =.
cher Teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher, teacher.

or this: te ce if Lf

a 6>> 62g _6>2—¢>—@>=. =.

—_— >=

i i

The tone of voice is a bit unique; it is dominated by no
overtone, yet it is not a clear whistle; it sounds, in fact,
as if the bird threw it out from his cheeks rather than
his lungs. I suppose most musicians would call ita
‘*mouthy ” tone notwithstanding its fortissimo charac-
ter! The remarkable thing about it is its relation with
the size of the bird. Itis the case of a David with the
voice of a Goliath! The woods fairly ring with the
sound, and the voices of the other birds, for the time,
are completely lost.

Maryland This bird is certainly one of the com.
Yellow-throat 1 onest members of the Warbler Family.
Geothlypis z Se P -
trick Its voice is heard wherever there is a bit

brachidactyla of running water that finds its way through
L.5.30inches an impassable thicket. A sight of the
May 1oth bird is therefore less common than the
sound of his voice. He is as_ beautifully marked
as any other member of his tribe, and in the best of
Spanish taste. He affects a harmony in black and
yellow, with the black appropriately encircling his face !
A black band crosses the forehead and covers the cheeks
and ear coverts; it is bordered above and backward by

*I do not consider the musical interval of any consequence ;
some birds seem to sing a questionable third, others a fourth, and
still others a fifth. The shift back and forth is more an extreme
inflection of the voice than anything else, and it is very difficult to
locate the terminating tones.

200

MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT.

a streak of whitish ash; upper parts, wings, and tail
olive green, slightly tinged with brown; there are no
wing-bars nor tail patches; throat and breast bright
yellow, lighter at the under parts; sides olive brown.
Female similarly marked, but browner on the back, and
with the black replaced by a brown-olive tone; yellow
of throat also paler. Nest on or near the ground; built
of dead leaves, strips of bark, and plant fibre, and lined
with finer material of the same nature. Egg white and
speckled mostly at the larger end with madder brown
and umber. This bird’s range is throughout eastern
North America west to the Plains, and north to Mani-
_toba and Labrador. It breeds from southern Georgia
northward, and- winters from the Gulf States to the
tropics.

The familiar song of the Maryland Yellow-throat
scarcely needs description. It is commonly composed
of three syllables, rendered in a variety of ways. To
wit: Witchery, witchery, witchery! or Which-way-sir ?
which-way-sir ? which-way-sir? or Wichity, wichity,
etc., or Rapity, rapity, etc., or Which-is-it ? which-is-it ?
etc., or What-a-pity, what-a-pity! etc., or I-beseech-you,
I-beseech-you! etc., etc. One is at liberty therefore to
take his pick of the various sentiments. In any case
the rhythm of the bird is remarkably exact and there is
no missing the song. After hearing all the Maryland
Yellow-throats about Boston and also the White Moun-
tain region sing a trisyllabic song, I was delighted to
find, one early morning in the Arnold Arboretum, one of
Mr. Chapman’s New York birds singing the four-sylla-
bled J-beseech-you version, thus:

d=
Sforzando
: cres, 3 times 8va. a
i + ied Pie a. 2 iY 2a. FE > ey tan Sa
[Ai Wo OD Os A ~-G AE Ae anand a ae
jj Uo | AEE | aad if tl | <A a A
I p> — | — TT | =|
youyou, I be-seech you, I be-seech you I be-seech-
ze ee 23 ae ee.
ist fe) T i '
U

But the bird sang the song his own way, and did not
conform strictly to Mr. Chapman’s rendering on page
871 of his Handbook, as my word accompaniment shows !

FAMILY Mniotiltidz.

The commoner song of this Warbler is,

Sforzando

{} EE
V7 ee
7

ass

“ —¥
y" 4 y
and still another less common form is,
Treble 8 va. ‘The bird ings 3 times va. fh
paw ¢ ——
AY} j 4a se « ie
wit Witch- -e- ry Witch- -e- ry Witch- -@- LY Witch.
SF . J- dim
vj i hs) | ht Mn) iat
vs ii ii
whe U

The tonic is never distinct but the rhythm is emphatically 50.

Then in the Which-is-it form he often begins on a high

note and descends, reversing the order, thus:
ret real d-=92

ee 22S:

Ti,

Play af I,

all al is-it? = Which-is- it?

Whi -1S-/t ?

ide 4 é

The commoner form runs this way:

by | eg i = | j a
* 7 iS A Fine Ga GES. -4 —~_g a
e— 7 = rr 7 = aa

ay -(5-tt? ¥ Which -(5-itP

202

v Which-15-/t ?

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

There is no more tone to this bird’s voice than there is
to that of the Oven-bird; consequently I can not say
that the intervals as I render them represent true pitch.
All I can promise is, that the swing of the Maryland
Yellow-throat’s voice is accurately reported in the shape
in which it reached my ear.

Yellow~ The Chat is the largest member of the
ia ge seh Warbler Family, and an eccentric charac-
L. 7.45 inches *T in the largest sense of the word. His
May ist colors are bright. Upper parts olive
green; a broad white line extends from the nostril over
and back of the eye; region in front of and below the
eye slaty black graded to olive; eye-ring white; throat
and chest bright cadmium yellow fading to white on the
under parts; sides gray-olive. Female similarly marked.
Nest a rather bulky affair built of dead leaves, coarse
grasses, and bark fibre well interwoven, and lined with
finer material of the same nature; it is lodged in tangled
undergrowth, near the ground. This bird is distributed
from the Gulf States to Massachusetts and Southern
Minnesota; it winters in Central America.. It is shy,
retiring, and chooses the dense thicket for its home.
I find it fairly common in the vicinity of New York and
southward, but I have never seen it near Boston.

The song of the Yellow-breasted Chat scarcely de-
serves the name, and it would be a hopeless task to give
any truthful idea of it by means of the musical staff.
In the line of music, he can, however, give us an excel-
lent ritardando and diminuendo, a time arrangement
exactly the reverse of that of. the Field Sparrow; but
one cannot call such a series of clucks musical:

Pee. ritard. et dim p

It is proper to’say of this performance that it is a com-
bination of voice tones without either key or pitch.
Certain strange and sudden monosyllables of the bird

203

FAMILY Maiotiltide.

sound exactly like, Quirp! chuck! cop! chack! charr!
etc. These it is risky to place on the staff lest one
should be led to think they were really musical tones.
They are simply indescribable noises, that is all. Mr.
Scott’s remarks on the subject are quite to the point; he
says, ‘‘such a mixture of curious notes is poured out as
has no kind of parallel in our bird acquaintance. This
is no soft melody that one has to be near to hear, but a
series of loud, jerky, detached notes, now whistles, now
chucks, and again croaks and chuckles that defy imita-
tion, musical or otherwise.” I might add that the bird
frequently gives a number of clear whistles of accurate
pitch; but these, though I place them on the staff, must
prove to be such fragmentary bits of the song that it
would be useless to depend upon them for purposes of
identification. The fact is the Chat may be considered
a mere chatterer whose flippant conversation is carried
on in aseries of grotesque syllables alternating with a
few clearly whistled staccato tones, thus:

S/erzando._ > ae > a > (ee ie oe ee Se
Sa) UT na | : SR A A
~ Cop!copicop! charr! chack! quirp, quirp, cop! co-0-0-0-0-0f

Hooded The Hooded Warbler, who in effect of
Warbler coloring is almost exactly the reverse of
Wilsonia

seitratis the Maryland Yellow-throat, is so con-
L.5.60inches Spicuously marked that he can not fail
May 15th to attract attention. His general appear-
ance, in character at least, is so similar to that of the
other bird that one is surprised to find the ornithologist’s
classification separates them by interposing the Chat.
This Warbler’s colors are yellow and olive accented by a
jet black hood over the head, throat, and peek Fore-
head and cheeks bright yellow; crown black with a
bandlike connection at the neck with the black throat;
upper parts including the wings and tail olive green; no
wing-bars; the inner vanes of the outer tail feathers pale

204

See ee eee

* a > ns ih ory

Leeeeeay |

HOODED WARBLER,

yellow; lower parts bright lemon yellow of a light tone;
bill with bristles at the base. Female similarly marked
but the colors dull, and the more restricted hood less
sharply defined. Nest in a bush or small tree, and gen-
erally situated in a Y fork, a few feet from the ground;
it is built of dried leaves, shreds of bark, rootlets, and
grasses, and lined with finer material of the same nature.
Egg cream white slightly spotted with ruddy brown
thicker at the larger end. This bird is distributed
through eastern North America as far north as southern
Michigan and Ontario in the interior, and to southeast-
ern New York and Connecticut on the seaboard; it breeds
from the Gulf States north to the limit of the range, and
winters in Central America.

The song of the Hooded Warbler is in no respect like
thatof the Maryland Yellow-throat; it lacks the power-
ful accent and the pointed rhythm of that bird’s well-
known wichity, wichity, etc. The Rev. J. H. Langille
describes it in syllables thus: che-ree, cheree, chi-de-ee,
and besides, gives another form that the bird sings at
night of which I know nothing. Still another form
is given by Mr. Jones, but it is evidently not the one
which I know, for the syllables will not fit my notations;
it runs thus: che-weo-tsip che-we-eo. The music which
follows shows two slightly sustained syllables succeeded
by about three short and rapid ones, thus:

Vivace £ 3 times 8va.

FSR,

LS | AEE 7 Nee TA” a ae
CE. 4 bane
Cheree, cheree, ehi-di-ee,

There is a drop of the voice at the end of the song which is’
similar to that in the song of the Chestnut-sided. AsI have
but this one record of the Hooded Warbler’s song, and the
bird seems to be so very uncommon as far nortin as New
Jersey, it is impossible to say whether I have caught the
typical song or not. Mr. Torrey gives no syllabic form
in his writings, as far as my knowledge goes, but reports
the bird very common in the country around Chatta-
nooga, Tenn.

205

FAMILY Maoiotiltide.

Wilson’s Wilson’s Warbler, or Wilson’s Blackcap
bse as he is often called, is sufficiently common
pusilla about New York and Boston to be included

L.5-ooinches in the list of familiar Warblers. Except
May 15th for the black cap he is not conspicuously
marked. Forehead a slightly greenish yellow; crown
black; upper parts bright olive green including the
wings and tail; no wing-bars nor tail patches; under
parts bright light yellow; bill with conspicuous bristles
at the base. Female similarly colored but lacking the
black cap. Nest on the ground generally in thin,
swampy woods; it is built of leaves, grasses, and mosses,
and lined with finer material of a similar nature. Egg
cream white speckled with madder brown and pale
madder purple (lavender). This bird is distributed
throughout eastern and northern America, and breeds
from the northern boundaries of the United States north-
ward; it winters in Central America. This familiar lit
tle Warbler is the one most frequently found in the
tangled undergrowth of swampy woodlands; he appa-
rently prefers the damp woods near the water where he
can easily capture on the wing the insects which form his
natural prey.

The song of Wilson’s Warbler is very short and
similar to that of the Redstart; the bird’s voice is thin
and almost insectlike, the pitch is extremely high, and
the quality is slightly suggestive of an overtone, though
there is not enough of that to remind one in the remotest
way of the Black-throated Blue’s voice. Nuttall writes
the song ‘‘’tsh-’tsh-’tsh-‘tshea,” which, in a measure,
suggests the quality of tone, and the evenness of the
rhythm, but it throws no light on what might be called
the song’s structure; that can only be properly expressed
by notation, and the following is the nearest approach to
its rather subtile though simple character:

Vivace. 3 times 8va.
y= SS eS
| ad See
Ifa i Jj j Mtinst
2

Rs
” [sh, tsh, tsh tshea.

206

CANADIAN WARBLER.

There is a slight upward inflection to the voice and a
final drop. It is also a shorter song than that of the
Redstart.

Canadian This beautiful Yellow-breasted Warbler
Warbler with the black necklace is a familiar in-
Wisonie = habitant of the lowland woods. Like his
canadensis Z 8 > <

L. 56.0 inches near relative, Wilson’s Blackcap, he will
May 20th always be found somewhere in the wet

woods near the water. His markings are similar to
those of the Parula Warbler, but he is a bird, as the say-
ing is, “‘of another color.” Upper parts slate gray,
_ wings and tail with more of an olive brown tone; no
wing-bars nor tail patches ; a band from the bill to the
eye, and the under parts bright yellow; crown spotted
with black, and region below and behind the eye black;
a necklace of black spots festooned across the breast; the
adult male with conspicuous bill bristles. Female simi-
larly marked but with dusky olive brown replacing the
black. Nest on the ground, set on a mossy bank or
among the roots of a protecting shrub; it is built of dead
leaves, shreds of bark, moss, and rootlets, and lined with
similar finer material. Egg white speckled with red or
madder brown mostly at the larger end. This Warbler
is distributed through eastern North America, ranging
as far north as Newfoundland, Labrador, and Lake Win-
nipeg; it breeds from Michigan and Massachusetts north-
ward to the range limit, and southward along the higher
Alleghanies to North Carolina; it winters in Central,
and northern South America. Although in the times of
migration this bird will be seen in association with other
Warblers, it is pre-eminently a retiring character, with
fly-catching tendencies (it is not infrequently called the
Canadian Flycatcher), and a decided preference for the
wooded banks of streams.

The song of the Canadian Warbler is but slightly like
that of the Yellow Warbler, though some writers seem
to think the resemblance is strong. But I have long
since called attention to the fact that these superficial
similarities will not stand the test of thorough musical
analysis. Compare my notations of the Yellow Warbler’s

207

FAMILY Maiotiltide.

song with these of the Candian Warbler and I am sure
further explanation or comment will be unnecessary.
There are no two tunes alike, so the similarities must be
confined mostly to quality of tone. The Canadian War-
bler sings this way: _ — — ~~~~- _. — or this
way: _. ~~~ — — The lines express the rhythm
in a very lame way, however; here is the notation of
the first form:

Vivace. 3 times va ff

Gtr

7 | a

and here is that of the second form:

Vivace.
“ f

“ Tu,tu, t-swe-e, tu, tu.

Neither of these songs resembles that of any other
Warbler; besides, the pitch of the Canadian’s voice is
much higher than that of the Yellow Warbler, the song
is less melodic, and the crescendo comes just before the
last two notes. The syllables recorded by Mr. Jones are,
“tu, tu, tswee tu tu.” These seem to fit my second
notation.

American This little jet black Warbler with his
Redstart vivid patches of salmon-scarlet possesses a
Setophaga s = P

ruticilla scheme of coloring at variance with that
L.5-40inches Of every other member of the Warbler
May toth Family. He strikes a discordant note,

somehow or other, which sets us to wondering whether
he really belongs where the ornithologist has placed
him! Perhaps, however, we might find in South Amer-
ica some of his relatives who would supply the missing
colo links. The bird is a symphony in black and red; a
subject for the brush of a Whistler! His upper parts,
throat and breast are lustrous black; terminal parts of

208

Canadian Warbler Wilson’s Warbler
(above) (below)

that |
wy

AMERICAN REDSTART.

the wing feathers, two middle tail feathers, and the ter-
minal third of the rest of the tail feathers black; other
portions of these feathers and the sides of the breast and
flanks scarlet-salmon or orange salmon; extreme under
parts white tinged with salmon; bill with bristles at the
base. Female, salmon color replaced by light ochre
yellow; head brown-gray; back olive green with a gray
tinge; under parts except where marked with dull yel-
low, gray white. There are birds whose yellow tones
have a greenish cast. Nest in the Y of a young tree or
shrub; it is lodged at a point anywhere from five to
twenty-five feet above the ground, and is skilfully woven
- with plant fibres, leaf stalks, and fine rootlets, and lined
with finer material of the same nature including plant
down. Egg a blue-gray white speckled mostly at the
larger end with cinnamon and olive browns. This bird
is distributed throughout North America; it breeds from
North Carolina and Kansas to Hudson’s Bay, and winters
in the West Indies and tropical South America.

The song of the Redstart is a very simple and mon-
otonous one generally consisting of seven notes all of
a kind, except the last one which is in most cases a drop
of about a major third. It could be fairly represented by
a series of dots, thus: . ..... The musical

notation does not look very different:

Vivace. cres. accel.

The voice is pitched very high, there is no overtone, and
there is a slight crescendo and accelerando; but it is very
slight. The song has few if any variations; the follow-
ing record will show how slight they usually are, and
how fixed the monotonous rhythm is:

° 3 times 8va.
Vivac € “eres. accel,
a

PAMILY Troglodytide.

———EE

I have found most writers express the song by a series of
simple syllables which properly carry the idea of mon-
otony with them, Mr, Chapman writes it ‘‘ Ching, ching,
chee,” and Mr. Jones, ‘*‘ Che, che, che, che, pa.” Evi-
dently both are shorter forms of the song as I have
recorded it above.

It is a comparatively simple matter to record any
or all of the Warblers’ songs on the musical staff pro-
vided one can obtain them ; but it is an extremely diffi-
cult task to supply one’s self with the immense equipment
necessary to perform such work completely. It is an ut-
terly discouraging thing for one who wishes to learn the
songs, to have nothing but meaningless syllables to de-
pend upon, and it is quite as discouraging to the one who
desires to collect the music and incorporate it in its
proper form on the musical staff, to find that he must
travel from Dan to Beersheba and hear thousands of
‘Warblers before he can be sure of his song types, and
write authoritatively about the small matter of a score of
species! So far, that has never been done, but no doubt
it will be done—in time. If, therefore, some of my no-
tations belonging to certain Warblers are meagre and
unsatisfactory, the reason is obvious; after years of
watching and waiting I obtained but little. But I am
convinced that this little in true musical form is worth
all the silly syllables that ever were invented by impress-
ing our sensible English language for a service which it
was certainly never intended to perform.

Family Troglodytide,
MOCKINGBIRDS, THRASHERS, WRENS, ETO.

In this family are the Mockingbird, Catbird, and
Brown Thrasher, all distinctively American birds, and the
Wren. Itis a significant fact that their music is very
similar, although the songs of the Wrens are decidedly
fluent, and in this respect different from the hesitating,
halting character of those of the other three birds.

—— 310

———

CATBIRD.

Catbird The Catbird, from the musical point of
Galeoscoptes —_ view, is the northern representative of the
coKOkn es Mockingbird. His song is only remarkable
L. 8.90 inches 7 4

May 8th for its splendid style; neither in melody
nor rhythm (excepting its characteristic hesitancy or
interruption) does it show any adherence to rule.

The colors of the bird are rather sombre. Top of head
and tail sooty black; general coloring slate-gray; under
tail-coverts chestnut, or burnt sienna of a ruddy tone;
eyes brown. Female similarly colored: Nest built in
the Y branches of small trees or shrubbery—often the
lilac and elderberry; it is bulky, loosely woven with
twigs, roots, grasses, etc., and lined with finer rootlets
and grasses, Egg deep blue-green, unspotted.

This bird is common throughout North America; it
breeds in the eastern United States from the Gulf States
northward to New Brunswick and the Saskatchewan,
and winters from Florida southward.

There is a certain lawless freedom to the song of the
Catbird which invests it with a character essentially
wild. The bird does not appear to entertain any regard
for set rhythm; he proceeds with a series of miscellane-
ous, interrupted sentences which bear no relationship
with one another. The fact is, he is an imitator, and
possibly does not know himself exactly what he is talk-
ing about, or what impression he will embody in ‘‘ the
next line.” He can imitate anything from a squeaking
cart-wheel to the song of a Thrush. He intersperses his
melodic phrases with quotations from the highest au-
thorities—Thrush, Song Sparrow, Wren, Oriole, and
Whip-poor-will! The yowl of the cat is thrown in any-
_where, the guttural remarks of the frog are repeated
without the slightest deference to good taste or appro-
priateness, and the harsh squawk of the old hen, or the
chirp of the lost chicken, is always added in some mal-
ad propos manner, All is grist which comes to the
Catbird’s musical mill, and all is ground out according
to the bird’s own way of thinking.

To set his music on paper in a thoroughly complete
manner cne would need to write the score of Nature's
orchestra, and a correct record of the scope of his voice

2ir

FAMILY Trogiodytidx.

would nécessitate the employment of both treble and
bass staffs. His song is no ordinary one; it is like some
long rigmarole the drift of which is humorously incom-
prehensible, though the bird apparently considers his
remarkable strophes both serious and important. Listen
to him sometime while he is singing in the shadowy
tangies of the briers and willows through which winds
the brook with gurgling, petulant impatience, and you
will hear some unmistakable tuneful expostulations.
persuasions, and remonstrances, nearly half of which
are delivered sotto voce, and the rest with emphatic
insistence on some point which the bird considers vitally
important. When he has finished you will wonder
what it was all about—whether he was telling the
brook that such fretful slipping over the pebbly shallows
was an undignified and needlessly noisy proceeding. But
the music is no index to the sentiments of the bird; the
drift of his remarks still remains a mystery even if one
reads with ease this simple notation:

. bee
Allegro. yi scherzando,
p m
Bird N71 e f < Z —~ 2 gf;
a — aa “4
“ U uy

at
“4
“ le! \
F .
‘the keys weréed trifledubious. _._ if sotto voce,
Bird ae we a

= - if 4 =~

”
i} oo

7 p
dolce mf staccato, Vdelicato.”””’ smorzando,

Some of the notes are like those of the Robin, others re-
semble those of the Red-eyed Vireo, and still others those
of the Chat. But the Catbird’s music is all his own; he
suggests the songs of various birds—never delivers the
notes in their way! His voice is not as strong as that of
the Thrasher, nor can he sing as well as that bird, but his
song is refined, sprightly, and interesting although dis-
jointed, jumbled, and lacking in melody. His catlike

Me-& Urn! every one knows, but not all are familiar

212

BROWN THRASHER. |

with that remarkable and lively medley, strenuously
continued at times for two or three minutes, which is
indeed his love song. He isa bird with an uneasy and
restless disposition, shifting his perch, dodging between
the leaves, bobbing his tail up and down, raising his
crest, puffing out his feathers, and otherwise showing
his disapprobation of the intrusion on his private grounds
whenever you approach to watch him. His only note at
such a time is the harsh and nasal meou so suggestive of
the cat.

Brown The Thrasher, sometimes called the
—— Brown Thrush, is one of our finest singers
cafe whose music is a medley of rapidly re-

L. 11.25 inches peated tones not unlike those of the Cat-
May ist bird. His color is a refined and delicate
brown. Upper parts, wings, and tail light sienna
brown; wing-coverts tipped with dull white; under
‘parts white heavily streaked with black-sepia except on
the throat and extreme under parts; eyes yellow. Fe-
male similarly marked. Nest built of coarse twigs,
grasses, and leaves, lined with fine rootlets and plant
fibres; it is generally placed on or near the ground, but
sometimes high in bushes, and not infrequently in low
branches of trees. Egg blue-white finely speckled with
sienna brown. This bird is distributed through eastern
North America as far north as New Brunswick; it breeds
from the Gulf States northward, and winters from Vir-
ginia southward.

The voice of the Brown Thrasher is so similar to that
of the Catbird that one might be easily mistaken for
the other; but there is an unvarying difference between
the songs of the two birds: the Thrasher repeats his
notes and the Catbird does not. Hence, we find the
report in various books that the Thrasher advises the
farmer about his various duties in emphatic insistence,
thus:

** Shuck it, shuck it; sow it, sow it;
Plough it, plough it; hoe it, hoe it!”
213

FAMILY Troglodytide.

Again, the voice of the Catbird generally comes from
the thicket, perhaps near some meandering streamlet,
and to see the fellow sing is indeed a rare treat, for he
does not fancy being watched. But with the Thrasher

~ conditions are reversed; his voice comes from one of the

topmost branches of a tree on the meadow where he
holds a conspicuous position and commands an exten-
sive outlook. He does not care in the least whether you
observe him or not; the business of song is too import-
ant a matter to brook interruption, so he proceeds in an
energetic manner with an eye on you and a mental
reservation, perhaps, to be on guard lest you approach
too near, and finally finishes the task in hand as though
it were a good thing to get it off his mind in thoroughly
complete shape, without haste and without rest. Mr.
Cheney seems to think he sings in a fine frenzy of in-
spiration; he says, ‘‘ As the fervor increases his long and
elegant tail droops; all his feathers separate; his whole
plumage is lifted, it floats, trembles; his head is raised and
his bill is wide open; there is no mistake, it is the power.
of the god. No pen can report him now; we must wait
until the frenzy passes.” That is an exceedingly good
pen description of the bird in the attitude of singing,
which it would be idle to attempt to match. Watch
the graceful little musician as he performs, and note his
complete absorption in the music; his long, slender bill
is wide open, his head is thrown back, and his notes are
poured forth in rapid succession; his pauses are rhyth-
mical and almost exactly in accordance with metronome
time; his notes are in groups of two, three, four, and
even five, nearly every group is repeated once, and each
one is in a voice register sharply contrasting with the
other; he sings high and he sings low, sometimes with
an overpowering overtone, other times with a clear and
liquid whistle; every one of the note-groups resembles
some portion of the Catbird’s song, yet each is delivered
in a manner altogether too loud and emphatic to keep
one long in doubt as to the singer.* My notation shows
repeated phrases and rhythmic pauses.

* Read also what Mr. Bradford Torrey has so charmingly written
of the song on page 117 of Birds in the Bush.

214

Brown Thrasher

ma
oe

/ a | $ ' at a X
z Lr

ine ,

i a

BROWN THRASHER.

ee Patee

Hurry up, up, plough it, plough it it, harrow it, hoe it, hoe ithoell.
Ben marcato. f et

few |
“= a4 ey
U

al . ; ‘ . . af
Scstterte scatterit, seed it, seed, cover ut over, rake it, rake tt, tut-tut,
seed,

Pas , 20 @2.C

Bw iS Ss
- ED ty
T | - _# =
ANI

7 ay ay a é leave italone!
pushitim,pushit in, weed it, weed it, pullem up, pull em up,

The Catbird’s song, on the other hand, is distinguished
by a greater versatility and refinement of style; there is
a pleasing confidential quality to it, also, which flatters
one into thinking it was meant wholly for one’s self and
not for the public at large. Now the Thrasher takes to
the top of the big tree with an evident intention toaddress
the whole world—or as much of it as he can see! There
he sings his phrases exactly as the poet has said:

‘**That’s the wise thrush: he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture !”

Carolina Wren ‘This is the largest member of the Wren
‘hryothorus family, easily distinguished by its superior
‘udovicianus f 4 :
L. 5.55 inches Size and the decidedly ruddy or Venetian
May rst red-brown color of the back. A conspicu-
‘ous whitish line extends over and back of the eye, the
wings and tail are rusty brown finely barred with black,
under parts a pale or creamy buff whiter at the throat and
merging into a slightly barred area at the neck. Female
similarly marked. The slender and curved bill is long and
an extremely dark sepia brown. Nest in holes of trees
or stumps, or in sheltered nooks of old houses. Egg
cream white with a circle of cinnamon brown markings
around the larger end. The range of this Wren is the

215

FAMILY Troglodytide.

eastern United States as far north as eastern Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the Palisades of the
Hudson, thence south throughout the Gulf States, and
west to Iowa and Illinois. It is a common permanent
resident of Washington, D. C., and West Virginia, but a
rare summer visitant north of these points. It is one of
the earlier migrants of spring, and on April 9, 1918, it was
reported from the shores of Buzzards Bay, Mass.

The loud and cheery song of the Carolina Wren is rather
extraordinary forsosmallabird. It somewhat resembles
in its trisyllabic form the song of the Maryland Yellow-
throat, but there the similarity ceases for the voice of the
Wren is clear and musical whereas that of the Yellow-
throat is almost toneless and certainly lacks melodie dis-
tinction. For example, a Maryland Yellow-throat singing
in Blair, New Hampshire, July, 1919, gave me a four-
syllabled song for many days in succession, which after
study and some hesitation I considered not a monotone,
thus:

Moderato; Thrice 8va
7 key of A minor.

A te \F et iF os @F
iW JG@2 UA US Ae Ue
AZ Et et el it ey |

Get a penny, Geta penny, etc.

Yet a similarly four-syllabled song in exactly the same
locality July, 1908, was certainly composed of three mixed
tones, thus:

Moderato, Thrice 8va..-.-...-
ay

feceaieaee

Dont youdoit, dosit you doit, dont you
Now that vagueness of tonality, or rather what might be
called musical indecision, does not obtain in the song of
the Carolina Wren, there is a definite and emphatic swing
from one note to another, and the three syllables are given
in different tones whether these are in accurate pitch or
not. There is no doubt about the burden of this Wren’s

216

WRENS,

| song, it celebrates the name of a familiar kitchen utensil an
indefinite number of times:

mbit Twice 8va... ...+~

* .
may 2a Aero

7 aaa a a OP a a
‘faa DF 2) <2 Su Pee

-tle Teahkettle Tea kettle Teakettle. ete,

The following record of Dr. Henry Oldys is remarkably
similar:

reerily, cheerily, cheerily, etc.
Dr.Henry Oldys' record

This is the commoner form, one which I constantly
heard in May, 1909, near Rowlesburg, West Virginia. It is
also common with the few Wrens of this species at the foot
of the Palisades in the vicinity of Englewood, N. J. An-
other not unusual song is distinctly two-syllabled, though
there is no avoiding the impression one gets of the grace
note and strong accent on the first syllable:

Ty. Chery, cheery, cheery, cheery, ohedry, ghauny, cheery,

The bird’s musical performance is always strenuous
and emphatic, and the movements before and after it are
hurried to the point of nervous agitation. Like the Red-
eyed Vireo the Carolina Wren is an unremitting and tire-
less singer who is sure to be heard if he is anywhere near
you. Dodging in and out among the brushwood, his tail
flipping about like the baton of a band conductor, stopping
a moment to carol a cheery, cheery, cheery, or else a tea-
kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle, etc., you gather the impression he
is out after guests for some social function! In the South he
is known as the Mocking Wren, but there is no other reason
for this beyond the fact that some of his notes closely
resemble those of the Tufted Tit-mouse and the Cardinal.

217

FAMILY Troglodytide.

Bewick’s Wren A very rare species east of the Alleghanies
parsotior“s but one which has been found in Ontario,
L. 5.00 inches SOuthern New Hampshire, central Penn-
April roth sylvania, and Washington, D. C. Its
common range is from southern Michigan, northern Illi-
nois and western Pennsylvania south to Georgia, northern
Mississippi, central Alabama and eastern Texas; westward
it extends to the borders of the Prairie Lands. It has not
yet been reported from New York. In color and size it,
closely resembles the House Wren, but the wings and tail
are a trifle longer, the deep cinnamon brown of the back is
less mixed with other tones, and the primary feathers (long
wing feathers) are not barred, the middle tail-feathers
are black-barred, and the outer ones are black tipped with
pale gray, under parts gray white, and a white line extends
over the eye. The nest and its location is like that of the
House Wren. Egg china white sprinkled with sienna
brown or lavender, sometimes in a wreath at the larger end.

The song is a loud and clear roundelay in tone quality
similar to that of the Carolina Wren but far sweeter, with-
out the fixed reiteration of the latter bird’s rhythm, and
with much of the freedom and exuberance of the music of
the inimitable Winter Wren. But I have no notations
which would demonstrate its rhythmic character. Ridg-
way says the song may be heard a quarter of a mile or more
away. Itis far more deliberate in its movements than the
Carolina Wren.

House Wren The commonest and most familiar mem-
Troglodytes 240” her of the Wren family; a tiny bird with an
L. 4.75 inches ; ait) aa ‘
April 30th extensive, rippling, laughing song which
reminds one strongly of a musical waterfall
or purling brook. His upturned, perky tail, however, is
quite as notable a mark of his personality. The upper
parts are mixed cinnamon brown and olive brown becoming
more ruddy on the rump and tail, the back with ill-defined
darker bars, the wings and tail finely barred with sepia, the
sides similarly barred, and the under parts very pale gray
or Quaker drab. The range is throughout eastern North
America from Wisconsin eastward to New Brunswick,
and southward to Virginia and Kentucky. The nest,

218

WREN

HOUSE

"8
‘

ne ré

% o> = ty

ae te = » «

ts i
A's * »7¢
" |

a as
_«

’

: . ¢

a eel

, ora ie . :
n> Oe eS St) ae

WRENS.

generally built of fine twigs and lined with dried grasses or
other soft material, is commonly located in the hole of some
old apple tree or in the crannies or knot holes preferably of
an old house. Egg pale pinkish buff, brown-speckled or
usually with a wreath at the larger end.

No song could be more spontaneous and rollicking than
that of the House Wren, though it lacks a distinct and full
tone, that defect is more than atoned for by irrepressible
spirit; beginning sotto voce with an inexplicable jumble of
unmusical grating sounds, it proceeds with a series of rapid
trills from a high to a considerably lower register without
pause or slackening of speed. Here are three records taken
- in different localities, Millington, N. J., Englewood, N. J.,
and Blair, N. H., each in the order named:

UD RIA hoe Si ge Aa on ERE

Allegro,

There is practically no difference in the rhythmic form,
no great variation in the pitch, and only slight variation in
melodie structure, as my notations very plainly show.
However, aside from musical form of the song it possesses
a rapturous abandon which at once captures the heart of
the listener just as his eyes would be entranced by the sight
of a beautiful cascade in a mountain glen. The jubilant
music drops like silvery spray; the songster should have
been named Minnehaha—Laughing Water!

219

FAMILY Troglodytide

Winter Wren The Winter Wren is the most glorious
> annus hiemalis singer ag well as the smallest member of his
- 4.10 inches ‘ > ee ¢
April 20th family. The species is decidedly boreal, a
common resident of the Canadian zone, and
breeds from Alberta to Newfoundland, southward to
Minnesota, the mountain regions of New York and New
England, and along the Alleghanies to North Carolina.
To hear its song one must journey to the North Woods of
the higher mountains where the lively, dancing melody
reverberates through the spruce forests like the tinkling of
silver bells. The appearance of the bird is similar to
that of the House Wren; a fluffy little ball of mottled
brown feathers, with a perked up tail and a bobbing head
all too tiny to belong to a song so loud and ringing, yet it
is indeed the inimitable Winter Wren which sings. The
colored markings of this species differ from those of the
House Wren in the following particulars; upper parts a
deeper brown, the barring especially on the under parts
much more distinct, the short line over and back of the
eye pale brown. The short tail also is usually held higher
than that of the House Wren. Female similarly marked.
The nest constructed of tiny twigs, mosses, and lichens
has a circular opening and is lined with moss, hair, and
feathers; it is most often lodged in the roots of an upturned
tree or the cavity of an old log. Egg, cream white finely
flecked with sienna brown and lavender, sometimes very
scantily marked.

Here is a record of the song taken on the slopes of Mt.
Mansfield, Vt., on July 10, 1908, the high C is the highest
on the piano keyboard, and the rapidity with which the
song was delivered was almost incredible.

Twice .8va -e*rere © - = -“*e eetenennnee
Presto. Py eS ee
oo needs: Feeees —
— a Ce h 4 4 A
c = ~—# as ay a om | SE ee
v rrr ly) ARSE t a
[ errr Soaked
GE

It is quite evident that the initial note of the various
trills is accented and sustained a trifle longer than the
succeeding reiterated lower-pitched notes. That is the
distinguishing character of this Wren’s song, and along

220

WRENS.

with it goes the equally,evident dual structure, the first
part in a low register, the rest sometimes a whole major
sixth or even an octave higher.

The following record was secured in early July, 1914,
near Lonesome Lake which lies in the slight depression of
the southern buttress of Cannon Mountain in the Fran-
conia Notch. The elevation was about 3600 ft., and the
Winter Wrens were singing in every direction among the
spruces.

; >
5) we ‘Twice set ye SE he ae errr ee x -~sere ee as sao
spin Pe
Pe ~ i ) oh ont at ol
> = Va I A. ee oS eo
>* i + ST ce ae
ij}

The next notation came from a splendid singer in the
Notch, on the path up Mt. Lafayette:

‘se cse#eeeset aeaeceasne

Presto. ep te ery: >
A > ~<e —-F ~*~
a re OP Sal i ee || | | g@gee| ere

I had chanced a little before that time to be reading Brad-
ford Torrey’s Birds in the Bush, and it was extremely
gratifying to find my bird singing very possibly the same
kind of song which Mr. Torrey heard, for, notice the sus-
tained tones in the middle of the record! On page 89
of that delightful little book is this: ‘‘ The great distinction
of the Winter Wren’s melody is its marked rhythm and
accent, which give it a martial, fife-like character. Note
tumbles over note in the true Wren manner, and the strain
comes to an end so suddenly that for the first few times
you are likely to think that the bird has been interrupted.
In the middle is a long in-drawn note like one of the
eanary’s.’”” Although it is true this sustained note is not
unusual, it is by no means common, as the bird-song
ripples along like a free fantasia regardless of rules.

The Winter Wren usually perches on a log, or the roots
or branches of a fallen tree when he sings, but I have fre-
quently discovered him on the uppermost boughs of a

22I

FAMILY Troglodytide.

stunted spruce or yellow birch pouring forth his melody
with lightninglike rapidity for the benefit of the world at
large.

Short-billed This extremely active little Wren is, as
epee te, some authors write, much more often heard

‘eerie than seen, it prefers damp meadows and
L. 4.50 inches bogs, and you cannot see it without great
May isth risk of wet feet and a fight with mosquitos.
With a secretive little bird which dodges in and out among
the grasses and sedges like a frightened mouse it is not
easy to obtain even a scraping acquaintance!

The range of the Short-billed March Wren is from
southern Saskatchewan to southern New Hampshire,
thence southwestward to Delaware, Missouri, and eastern
Kansas; in general it is an inhabitant of the upper Austral
zone. Its colors are extremely self-protective; the upper
parts streaked with sepia, ash white, and ocher, the head
with about six distinct blackish stripes, the wings and tail
barred, and the lower parts dull white stained on the
breast, sides, and under-tail with buff. Female similarly
marked. The nest, near the ground, is round as a ball
with the opening rather on the side and is built of grasses
lined with the cottony down of various swamp plants.
Egg, china white rarely with a few lavender specks.

The snapping call note of this marsh-inhabiting Wren is
certainly its most familiar note; it is without musical
tone, and resembles the grating sound of little stones or
glass balls striking together. The same grating note is
heard in the monotonous song, though the latter in the
height of the nuptial season acquires something in the
nature of a descending trill belonging to a sparrow. The
more deliberate opening notes are described by some author
as like Chap-chap-chap but these are absolutely toneless;
the rest of the song is erratic but somewhat musical, though
I can promise nothing for accuracy in pitch:

TACO Oe oc bi vcd icwdte ‘
aagre mp. Cresc. of. ROU FRFR pprane
v rrre.....- 797
[Clit fre

S tL tt @ 4 bbs
Chap, chap, Chap, chap, Chap r-r-r

222

WRENS. .

Long-billed A far more musical bird than his short-
Marsh Wren pilied relative, the Long-billed Marsh Wren,
T elmatodytes f

palustris an inhabitant of the salt marshes from
L. 5.20 inches Staten Island and Long Island to Massa-
May 15th chusetts, is also one of the sweetest songsters
of the Hudson River valley, the shores of the central lakes of
New York, Lake Ontario and Erie, and the borders of the
Niagara River. A few individuals remain throughout the
winter in the valley of the Hudson and along the coast.
The range of the Long-billed Marsh Wren is from southern
Ontario to Massachusetts south to the Potomac River and
the coast of Virginia; it winters from the south Atlantic

- and Gulf States to eastern Mexico. The nest is like

that of its short-billed relative, and is firmly attached to
the stalks of cat-tails which sustain it. The male bird
with unaccountable industry continues to build fresh nests
after the egg-laying of its mate has begun in the first nest.
W. E. D. Scott writes that he found eight new nests in a
small swamp of forty by twenty-five feet occupied exclu-
sively by asingle pair of Wrens and that these were all built
in ten successivedays! Egg, a uniform light umber brown
flecked with darker brown at the larger end, or, some-
times a white ground shows through a profuse spotting of
dark brown.

This Wren sings, at intervals, all day long and quite
frequently in the night. The song is delivered often from
the unsteady perch of a swinging cat-tail, and with the
nervous haste characteristic of the Wren family. It
ripples and bubbles along in a fashion similar to that of
the Winter or the House Wren, but with a glassy tinkle in
tone not characteristic of the songs of the other species and
a tempo perceptibly more rapid than that of the House
Wren’s music, thus:

TU epee wet nots
Sess a sh { PATS Sp PRERRE

P ER
i * a'a‘aa'a
ai [Pr g@2e@
i] | a |

223

FAMILY Certhiidez.

The attitude of the tiny singer during the performance
is a bit comical, for the tail is pitched so far forward over
the back that it appears almost to touch the head. If one
intrudes upon the wet territory while the singing progresses
it abruptly stops and immediately one is greeted with a
volley of strenuous chucks which presumably means
“Chuck him out.” The bill of this wren is a full half-inch
in length, that of the Short-billed Marsh Wren is barely
five-sixteenths of an inch.

Family Certhiide. CREEPERS.

A small Old World family related to the Wrens and
Nuthatches, with but this one representative in America,
a true creeper, which, like the Woodpecker, uses its stiff-
ened tail in climbing as a brace against the bark.

BrownCreeper The Brown Creeper is the only repre-

Paes sal sentative of its family in the eastern United

L. 5.50 inches States; the other relatives are found in the

April 2oth Rocky Mountains, California, Mexico, and
Europe.

It is possessed of distinct family characteristics; these
are evidenced in the rigid tail which partly supports the
body as the bird spirally ascends a tree trunk, the long,
strongly curved bill, and the sharp, curved claws. The
species is distinctly insectivorous and is therefore of great
economic value; it is also hardy enough to withstand the
severe cold of our northern Winters along with our compan- ~
_ionable little Chickadees and Kinglets. The protective
coloring of the bird is very evident; upper parts striped and
mottled in light brown and dull white or pale gray, the
rump ruddy brown, the wings with a band of pale buff, and
the tail (the feathers of which are pointed) an even tone of
light gray-brown edged with buff. The nest, usually built
behind the loosened bark of an old tree, is composed of bits
of bark, dead wood, twigs, and mosses lined with softer
material. Egg, china white flecked or wreathed with burnt
sienna and lavender. The range of the species is through
eastern North America from Manitoba to Newfoundland,
southward to Nebraska and Massachusetts, and along the

224

CREEPERS.

Alleghanies to North Carolina. It winters as far south as
the Gulf coast.

The Brown Creeper has no song in the strict sense of the
word except it be the few plaintive notes which it utters in
the nesting season; these are so thin in tone and so indeter-
minate in pitch that they not infrequently escape notice
altogether, or else the impression produced is of some dis-
tant warbler’s desultory song. The notes are properly
represented (adding Mr. Torrey’s syllabic form to my ©
-own) thus:

Mode Thrice 8va,. *ablent!

See, see me, see me,

“sue, Suky, Suky,”

The final plaintive note Mr. William Brewster likens to
the “‘soft sighing of the wind among the pine boughs.”
Musically expressed this note drags down with a rallen-
tando as most of the notes of the Meadow Lark do. The
commoner call of the bird is a short, unobtrusive tsip
which an attentive ear will often hear in the rugged spruces
which flank the Adirondack and White Mountains, or
among the trees which border the streets of our more
northern villages.

Seo

Mp,

Family Paride. NUTHATCHES AND TITs.

In this family are included two subfamilies, the Sit-
tine, Nuthatches, and the Parine, Titmouse and Chicka-
dees. The Nuthatches are climbing birds which creep
down as well as up, and unlike the Woodpeckers do not
use their tails as supports. These birds as well as the
Chickadees have a habit of wedging seeds or nuts in the
crevices of bark and cracking the shells thus securely
held, with repeated pecks of their bills. The Nuthatches
are entirely unmusical; but the Black-capped Chickadee
has an extremely sweet and melodious though simple
whistle.

225

PAMILY Paride.

White- This active and sprightly little Nut.
breasted hatch is one of our common winter birds;
Nuthatch st ae So ;

Sitta he is in frequent association with the

carolinensis | Chickadee and the Downy Woodpecker,
L.6.o0inches and one my look for him along with the
Allthe year companies of these birds which frequently
“turn up” suddenly and unexpectedly in the fall season
when most of the feathered tribe have long since flown
‘south. The White-breasted Nuthatch is a charming lit-
tle symphony in modest gray, black, and white. Over
his head extends a glossy black cap which reaches down
to the back; upper parts bluish gray, the wings a dusky
gray with the inner secondaries blue-gray marked with
black; wing-coverts tipped with dull white; middle tail
feathers gray, outer ones black with white patches near
their tips; sides of head and under parts white; the ex-
treme under parts and under tail-coverts washed with
faint Indian red. Female similarly marked, but the
black cap suffused with the bluish gray of the back.
Nest in a hole of a tree or stump, sometimes the deserted
quarters of a Woodpecker; the cavity is lined with grasses
and feathers. Egg cream white thickly and evenly
flecked with various browns. This bird is common
throughout eastern North America; it breeds from
Georgia north to Minnesota and New Brunswick, and
is generally resident throughout that range. The Red-
breasted Nuthatch is a much smaller bird, but 4.55
inches long, and is easily distinguished by the white
stripe which extends backward just above the eye, and
the sienna brown washing over the under parts. The
note of this Nuthatch is also different from that of the
other bird; it is characterized by a higher-pitched nasal
nyaa, nyaa delivered in slower tempo.

The Nuthatches have no song; their call-note is a
decided nasal monotone of an extremely low pitch com-
pared with the whistled notes of the other birds. The
White-breasted’s yank, yank, yank, is, as nearly as I
can locate such a peculiar tone, somewhere near the first
A, or B, above middle C * on the piano keyboard, thus:

* My diagram in the musical key shows the note of this Nuthatch.
226

White-breasted Nuthatch

‘

CHICKADEE.

pee , 4 . 2
LY SE i

. .

“Yank! Yank! Yank!

if) . ad » 4 bh 1 . s
y L i i? i i? } ii j

7 Yorikl Yank Yankee! Yankee! Yank! Yankl Janke

The tone is a clear falsetto, best imitated by pinching
the nose and singing the note staccato, with as much of
the nasal quality as one can putinit. Thatis about all
that can be: said about this bird’s remarkable voice ex-
cept that it is really much lower than that of any of
the woodland singers, and much nearer the sonorous
nasal twang of the ’way-down-East Yankee farmer’s
wife when she lifts up her voice to call ‘‘ Dan,” the boy
who goes for the ‘‘ Caows.”

But what a plucky little sprite this tiny, animated
bunch of gray feathers is, that he can brave our severe
northern winters with impunity! Even as I write this
book he has been cavorting about the trunk of the old
elm just beside the window, with the mercury indicating
a degree or two above zero! One wonders what he ex-
pected to find good to eat!

oe The Chickadee is an all-the-year-around
- tricopttioe bird, attractive in appearance, lively in

L. 5.25 inches ovement, and more than pleasing in the
Allthe year simplicity of its song. The top and the
back of the head well down are jet black; throat also
black; sides of the head and neck white; breast and un-
der parts graded from white to a buffish tone; back and
other parts an ashen gray, with the larger feathers
of wing and tail margined with white. The sexes do
- 227

PAMILY Parida.

not differ in coloring. Nest generally in a hole (often
excavated by the birds themselves) in a post, stump,
or tree-trunk, perhaps ten to fifteen feet from the
ground; it is built of moss, grass, feathers, plant-down,
or similar soft material. Egg white spotted with ruddy
brown. The bird is common from Illinois and Pennsyl-
vania northward. It breeds throughout this range and
along the higher Alleghanies as far south as South
Carolina.

The entertaining little Black-capped Chickadee is a
favorite among all bird-lovers, and with good reason.
Few of our wild birds are so sociable, fearless, and re-
sponsive. Whistle to the little fellow and he invariably
replies; one might whistle all day to the Oriole without
eliciting the slightest response. Call the Chickadee in
winter, show him that you have something good to eat,
and eventually with patience and cautious quietude on
your part he will feed from your hand; that is more
than can be done with the Oriole. This is the bird, too,
who braves the winter’s cold, and makes himself at home
in the dooryards of New England farm-houses, the one
of whom Emerson wrote,—

‘* This scrap of valor just for play
Fronts the north wind in waistcoat gray,
As if to shame my weak behavior.”

He gets his name, of course, from his rather squeaky
and harsh call-notes; every child knows them, chick-a-
dee-dee-dee-dee which, however unmusical, could be
placed upon the treble staff thus:

3 times BY 8

NT RB | i § i 4 i

~ Chick-a-de-de-de-de

There is no certainty about pitch in such mixed tones as

these, but there is an absolute mechanical rhythm which

is readily transcribed upon the music bars. For in-

stance; one must know without a knowledge of music
228 p.

CHICKADEBR.

or the rhythm of verse that a person would naturally
pronounce the syllables ‘‘ chick-a” exactly twice as fast
as the ‘‘ dees.” In illustration of this, tap on these dots
witha pencil... . . . . and you will get the true
relative value of the syllables ‘‘ chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee.”
‘** Lisp” the first two notes between the teeth and com-
bine a hum with a lisp for the other four, and you have
the Chickadee’s call. The song of the bird is entirely
different,

OS eee eiteerate SoA
Y. we QD j
iV = v4
(a and fy p—}+-—
IN
7 Phee- be. / Come to me

and is often mistakenly attributed to the Phoebe; but
poor tuneless Phoebe is intellectually incapable of such a
perfectly musical bit as this. Mr. Cheney says of these
two notes, ‘‘never were purer tones heard on earth.”
Indeed, few small birds whistle their songs as clearly,
and separate the tones by such lucid intervals. The
charm too of the Chickadee’s singing lies in the fact that
he knows the value of a well-sustained half-note, another
point which should be scored in the little musician’s favor;
and truly, in this regard he is far ahead of the Canary,
for the latter wastes his energy splitting into hemi-demi-
semi-quavers every tone within the compass of an
octave.

I may be overestimating the value of a melody so
meagre as that of the Chickadee, but if so it becomes
difficult to account for the charm that underlies the
music of all great composers, for constructively consid-
ered their melodies are mere elaborations of absolutely
‘simple themes. No better illustrations of this fact can
be produced than those I have introduced among the
pages in this book devoted to the Song Sparrow. The
best way to prove the musical value of the Chickadee’s
two or three pure tones, is to connect together a few
such as one may easily obtain from three or four birds
which are singing together in their customary, delight-
ful, antiphonal way. This is what I make of the
fusion:

229

FAMILY Paride.

a -
al
o-T-F CAR t ——
/ mp '-—~_ cres, —~
th SF 4)
x Rt ED = —s 1 a
eS ad ' Ll
Spon kee 2
{ ee dig) ritard.| -_ Ai
j -e 1 a
Pe , ' y A
tsi £) FE
(oa a
pat AE (Re MB
—_ t } ' 1 i Zs

As all bird songs are really so many love songs, it cer-
tainly seems as though the character of this particular
ditty satisfactorily sustains the general principle. This
is not the only theme, either, which the birds can give
us; here is another which will be found quite as
common:

Moderato.
Jf,

:
m
iN
in

Chickadees

“a a a
coy otiene

r+ a t 4 ;

CHICKADEBR.

The Chickadee is a noisy, restless little acrobat as well
as an educated musician, and his appearance with a
dozen of his fellows in the pine-tree near my cottage is
the signal for a circus performance with an orchestral
accompaniment, including (if it is the fall season) the
penny-trumpet tones of a friendly Nuthatch or two.
There is at once a Babel of squeaks and chattering, and
an obligato yank, yank which announces the entry in
the ring of Mr. White-vested Nuthatch, who proceeds at
once to walk upside-down! Then the nimble Chicka-
dees shake up the old pine-tree into active life until
every green needle quivers with excitement, and the
little gray-costumed tumblers are at it with all the
sprightliness of which they are capable. That means
that most of them are wrong end up, the others are bal-
ancing sideways, and that while you are endeavoring to
adjust your opera-glass every one has turned a summer-
sault and flown to the other side of the tree, after having
devoured every insect’s egg that could be found on the
nearer side! It is a lively performance and the ‘‘ band”
continues the squeaks and the ‘‘ dee dees” until you in-
terpose the magic influence of two pure whistled high
tones, when there is a momentary pause and you are an-
swered—probably in analogous tones:

a OQ :

TT whistled—* The bird responded .«

I have more than once persuaded the Chickadee to drop
his own notes and adopt mine, but I have never yet been
able to inveigle him back again to the first ones.
Wilson says of the Chickadee;—‘“‘ it has been found on
the western coast of America as far north as lat. 62°; it
is common at Hudson’s Bay, and most plentiful there
during winter, as it then approaches the settlements in
quest of food. Protected by a remarkably thick covering
of long, soft, downy plumage, it braves the severest cold
of those northern regions.” In Central Park, N. Y., in
the Arnold Arboretum, near Boston, in the White Moun-
tains, and in the vicinity of Gloucester, Mass., Chicka-

231

FAMILY Paride.

dees live all the year around and some may be found
fearless enough to eat from one’s hand. Not long ago I
received a snap-shot picture of the little bird perched
upon the hand of the good Hermit of Gloucester, a man
who is on intimate terms with the birds of that region.
This particular little fellow had more wits than one
would naturally attribute to such ah insignificant bunch
of feathers, and when, one cold winter’s day, the friendly
hand offered him some much-prized hemp-seed he gladly
accepted the invitation, and attempted to wrestle with
the big, hard slippery things; but he was so unsuccess-
ful that several were lost in the snow. Then the little
fellow resolved to take no more risks, so he carefully
took the next seed in his bill, flew away to a neighbor-
ing tree, jammed it firmly in a crevice of the bark, and
pegged away at it until the hard shell was broken and he
obtained the sweet meat within! That is indeed living
by one’s wits !

Carolina This species is largely a permanent resi-
oo dent of the southeastern United States,
aa ee mostly the Gulf States, and is very common
L.4.60 inches about Washington, D. C. The northern
Allthe year _—_ limit of its range is central Missouri, Indiana,
Central Ohio, Pennsylvania, and central New Jersey. Itisa
trifle smaller than the common Chickadee of the North,
and in mountain districts the ranges of the two birds over-
lap. In color the Carolina Chickadee is similar to the
other bird, but the feathers of the wings below the shoulder
(the greater wing-coverts) are not margined with gray-
white, and the wing and tail have less white on the outer
vanes of the feathers, a significant though not very pro-
nounced difference. The nest and eggs are similar to
those of the other species which it displaces absolutely in
Florida.

The Carolina Chickadee does not possess the deliberate,
clearly whistled two notes of the common Chickadee, but
in their place sings a somewhat monotonous and plaintive
swee-dee, swee-dee thus:

f 232

CHICKADEE.

pVivace Thrice Sv.

‘

Swee-dee, swee-deo,swee-dee
The call sick-a-dee, dee, dee is also higher pitched and more
lively than that of the other species.
aVivace Thrice 8va...
| ll
| ee |
Dd TER aes |

v Sick-a dee-dee-dee-dee
Mr. Chapman describes the whistled call as resembling the
- words my watcher key, my watcher key.

Hudsonian The Hudsonian, or, as it is sometimes
palenanee called, the Acadian Chickadee, is a sub-
Penthestes d i P

APM Et species distinctively boreal in character.
littoralis The range of this Chickadee is from

L.5.00inches northern Quebec and Newfoundland south
eer to the borders of the extreme north-
eastern States; on these borders it is
often found in association with the Black-capped Chicka-
dee, especially in the fall and winter. It is a permanent
resident of the spruce forests in the mountain regions of
northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine;
in summer among the White and Green Mountains it
remains in the upper spruce belts at an altitude of about
three thousand feet, rarely visiting the valleys before
October, and then usually in the company of the Black-
cap. The appearance of the Hudsonian is wholly different
from that of the Black-cap; the head is not black but brown.
The coloring—to use the artist’s expression—is very much
warmer. Upper parts a dilute burnt umber brown, or brown
ash, head a ruddier tone, wings and tail a warm gray, under
parts and neck dull white, sides a reduced ruddy umber.
Nest built of mosses and dried grass lined with fine hairs and
plant down, the egg similar to that of the Black-cap.
The notes of the Hudsonian Chickadee are a bit lower in
pitch and more deliberate than those of the Black-cap, the
song itself assuming the character of a weak but sweet
rippling medley not unlike some of the indecisive notes of

233

FAMILY Paridz.

the Black-cap, but there is never a suggestion of the latter’s
mellow, whistled phebe;

Stimes 8va. .... cet. ; Twice FVid.y, Bos ey Un dale “
nzentony nw
o— eae Ci
o - .
“ Pst zee-zee-zee Pst tree-e-e-e-e

The song has been described by Dr. Townsend in his Noles
on the Birds of Cape Breton Island,* as follows (which
inclines me to believe I have not heard the full song):
‘‘Several times in different places I was treated to a pleas-
ant little warble . . . which appeared to my companion
and myself to easily merit the name of song. It was a low,
bubbling, warbling song, which I vainly attempted to
describe in my notes. It began with a pstt or tsee, followed
by a sweet but short warble . . . quite different from the
irregular rolling notes that the Black-cap occasionally
emits.’’ That would mean that the thin, rippling notes I
heard from the Hudsonian could not be the full song and
that my record above does not fairly represent it. Mr.
Horace W. Wright also describes the song as he heard it at
Ipswich, Mass., November 12, 1904 as a “‘sweet warbling
song” and again, for another song heard in Belmont,
November 25th, he uses the same terms.** But of one
fact we may be certain, the differences between the various
notes of the Black-cap and the Hudsonian are distinct and
absolute, the call of the latter is a low-pitched, drawled
pst, zee, zee, zee, that of the Black-cap is sick-a-dee-dee-dee.
This difference may be easily recognized by any mountain
climber or autumn visitor in the White Mountains who is
fortunate enough to meet with the two species.

tinted te Closely related to the Chickadees this
Beolophus alert and fearless little bird resembles them
bicolor to a certain extent in character, habit, and

L. 6.10 inches

Ae Year coloring. Forehead black, a pronounced

crest, upper parts ashen gray with wings
and tail a trifle deeper, under parts dull white with a wash
* Vide The Auk, Vol. XXIII, No. 2, April, 1906.
** Vide The Auk, Vol. XXII, 1905, p. 87.

234

-CROWNED KINGLET PROTHONOTARY WARBLER
(above) (below)

on Mes
hia

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET.

of ruddy color on either side. Like the Chickadee it is
more commonly found in thin woodlands. Its range is
from the Gulf States through the warmer portions of the
United States as far north as Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York (in the warmer parts, locally),
New Jersey, and Connecticut; it occasionally visits Wiscon-
sin and Michigan. Records of its breeding on Staten
Island and Long Island are very rare; in Connecticut it
occurs only as a rare visitant, but it is a very common
permanent resident of Washington, D.C. Nest similar to
that of the Chickadee. Egg, cream white flecked with
burnt sienna brown.

~ T have no record of this bird’s note. Its common song is
in a monotone and is described as a frequently reiterated
loud, clear whistle like the syllables peto, peto, peto, peto;
it has a sibilant call like the Chickadee’s.

Family Sylviidae

Golden- There are only two members of the Old
cae’ ' World Family called Sylviide, with which we

Regulus satrapa May become acquainted in the eastern United
L.4.10 inches States, the Golden-crowned and Ruby-
April roth crowned Kinglets, if we except the Blue-
gray Gnat-catcher which is extremely rare in the North, and
breeds only in the West and South, or sometimes as far north
as New Jersey. The Golden-crown is not a gifted singer,
like all the misnamed Warblers it fails to warble! But
the beautiful little creature is too attractive to pass without
notice. Upper parts gray-olive, two dull white wing-
bars the one nearer the shoulder indistinct, a white-gray
area around the eye whitest above it, the centre of the
crown cadmium orange margined by pure yellow which is
again bordered by black, under parts dull white. Nest
pensile or globular, usually woven of green mosses lined with
finer material and feathers, lodged high up in a cedar, pine,
or hemlock in swamp, or mountain ravine; sometimes it is
sixty feet above the ground. Egg, half an inch long, cream
or ochery white flecked and blotched with pale brown. The
range of the species isfrom Alberta to southern Ungava and
Cape Breton Island, south to the mountains of Massachu-
setts, New York, the higher Alleghanies of North Carolina,

235

FAMILY Sylviide.

Michigan, and the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico.

The song of the Golden-crowned Kinglet is character-
ized by a series of three or four (possibly more) high-
pitched, quavering notes which ascend the scale rather
unevenly and are succeeded by an indefinite number of
sharply staccato descending trills, the first three or four
notes have the zee, zee, zee quality of tone described by
Bradford Torrey in Birds in the Bush. Bearing in mind
that this bird is singing mostly in the highest octave of
the piano and quite a major third above the final C, it is
not surprising that the ornithologist is at a loss for some
means to describe such a song. Below, it appears as I
obtained it among the spruces of the Franconia Notch:

Tirree Gd. oe US ee oes iA
Allegro

wees Nw eile acl) ict

Bradford Torrey calls these descending tones ‘‘a hurried,
jumbled, ineffective coda,’”’* which is not flattering but
truthful. The common call is two or t wiry notes in an
impossible, high E or F expressed by a sibilant see, see see.

Ruby-crowned This Kinglet is infinitely the superior sing-

Sree er of the two. He is not more beautiful,
Nceictas however, in the coloring of his head which

E. 4.30 inches carries a crest of ruby-red feathers under or-
April 4th dinary circumstances partly or entirely con-
cealed, but the little flaming crest is erect under stress of ex-
citement.. The upper and under parts of the Ruby-crown
are similar to those of the Golden-crown, and the two wing-
bars are the same, but there is a tinge of Naples yellow on
the sides of this bird not present on the other. Nest and
eggs similar to those of the Golden-crown, but the egg more
lightly marked. The range of the species is from Alaska to
central Ungava south to Nova Scotia, northern Maine, On-
tario, and through the mountains to New Mexico and south-
ern California. It winters from Iowa and Virginia southward
toGuatemala. The Kinglets are often associated with the
Chickadees in winter in the northern parts of New England.

* Vide Footing it in Franconia, p. 192.

236

i -s T

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET.

The song of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is astonishingly
loud and clear for so tiny a singer, and it is praised by all
who are acquainted with it for a most remarkable sweetness
and brilliance of tone. . That, however, does not help us to
recognize the song in the woods; such expressions might
apply equally well to the inimitable song of the Hermit
Thrush. The question is, what occurs in his song which
differentiates it from all others? To answer that one
should confine the analysis to simple facts, which must
largely discount pure sentiment. I quote from Bradford
Torrey, that incomparable analyst of character in nature,
who writes comparing the songs of the Golden-crown and
the Ruby-crown—‘‘The two songs are evidently of a
common origin, though the Ruby-crown’s is so immeasur-
ably superior . . . none the less, the resemblance is real.
The homeliest man may bear a family likeness to his hand-
some brother, though it may show itself only at times,
and chance acquaintances may easily be unaware of its
existence.’’* That is exactly true, the structural characters
of the two songs bear a strong family resemblance, as is
evidenced by the ascent and descent of the scale and the
quavering, trilling notes; but the Ruby-crown reverses the
order by commonly trilling first and sustaining a few notes
afterwards. Notice this point in the following songs
obtained in Smuggler’s Notch, under Mt. Mansfield, Vt.

illegro vivaed 7"? Ones sé. ay és abdoce
| é ae
a -
a eae

And still Mr. Torrey notes another character of the song
which is distinctively good analysis—‘‘a prolonged and
varied warble, introduced and broken into with delightful
effect, by a wrennish chatter. For fluency, smoothness,
and ease, and especially for purity and sweetness of tone, I
have never heard any bird-song that seemed to me more
nearly perfect.’’+ My next notation seems like concrete
evidence of the truth of these statements. The song was

* Vide Footing it in Franconia, p. 192.

t Vide Birds in the Bush, p. 236.

237

FAMILY Sylviide.

both wonderfully limpid and smooth-flowing though inter-
rupted by the wrenlike grating notes which really deserve
no place on the musical scale. The trills or reiterations
upon the triad show the unique character of the song.

Allegro vivad irre? 8va

+ i a | Li eA ca
i
1

re 3 @ r 4 } 3 r
(There was merely the impression of the G minor key)

As a rule the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is so absorbingly inter-
ested in the business he has on hand, that he sometimes
allows one to approach—if one is quiet and cautious—
within ten feet of him, and thus observe his sprightly and
restless movements. The bird is far from uncommon
among the spruces which clothe the slopes of the White
Mountains.

Blue-gray A southern species but a somewhat common
Gnatcatcher = ymmer resident of Washington, D.C. It
Polioptila 4 ‘ a

la is an irregular visitant of New York, and
L. 4.70 inches records have been taken of it on Long Island
April sth at Canarsie, Far Rockaway, Fort Hamilton,
Montauk Point, Bridgehampton, Shelter Island, and Bell-
port; it has also been observed in other parts of the State,
Rochester being the most northerly point. The range of
this Gnatcatcher extends from the Gulf States northward
to Eastern Nebraska, southern Wisconsin, Michigan, On-.
tario, southwestern Pennsylvania, and southern New
Jersey. Like some of the Warblers its colors form a
charming symphony in gray; upper parts blue-gray, under
parts gray-white, forehead and a line over the eye black,
tail black with the feathers mostly white, the inner third
feather only tipped with white, wings edged dark gray
and white-gray. Nest cup-shaped (similar to that of the
Hummingbird) on a horizontal bough or in a crotch, built
of tendrils, bark, lichens, and grasses, lodged usually high
up in the tree. Egg, bluish white thickly speckled with
cinnamon brown, burnt sienna, or umber.

238

Oa se

- WOOD THRUSH,

The song of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is composed of a
series of soft, drawling whistles comparable to some of the
notes of the Nightingale, but without the volume and
passionate character of the latter bird’s music. I have no
transcript of the song, and only one of the call note, which
has been compared to the twanging staccato tone of a banjo
string, that is, the thumb or melody string, usually G, thus:

Ova. w

|
T

Tang !

in quality it bears some resemblance to the Nuthatch’s

yank though in much higher pitch, and has been called by
one author “‘a complaining or snarling note.” J

Family Turdide. THRUSHES, ROBIN, BLUEBIRD, ETC.

This large family includes about three hundred species.
About one half of these represent the true Thrushes.
Of the Thrushes some twelve species are found in the
United States, four of which are tolerably though locally
common. The Thrushes are distinctive woodland birds,
some of them retiring to the fastnesses of the northern
forests and choosing high altitudes for their breeding
places. As musicians all are singularly gifted, and in
the case of the Hermit Thrush we are in possession of
the most talented and brilliant melodist in the world, the
Nightingale not excepted.

Wood Thrush The Wood Thrush is the most strikingly

Hyori marked member of his tribe, and certainly
mustelina : : :
L.8.2ginches One Of the sweetest of singers. His coloring

May 1oth is more pronounced than that of the other
Thrushes. Upper parts cinnamon or sienna brown,
brighter on the head, and merging gradually into light
olive-brown on the tail; under parts white conspicu-
ously marked with large round sepia-black spots; throat

239

rAMILY Turdide.

white defined on either side by a line of small spots ex-
tending from the bill to the markings on breast. Female
similarly marked. Nest usually in young trees or saplings,
ahd lodged from eight to ten feet above the ground; it is
built of twigs, roots, and dead leaves; an inner wall of
mud is lined with fine rootlets and shreds of plant-stems.
Egg green-blue like that of the Robin. This Thrush
is distributed over the eastern United States westward

_to the Plains, and northward to Minnesota, Michigan,
Ontario, Quebec, Vermont, and southern (rarely central)
New Hampshire. It breeds from Kansas, Kentucky,
and Virginia northward, and winters in Central Amer-
ica. Ihave heard the Wood Thrush sing along with the
Hermit Thrush on the slopes of Mt. Monadnock, and not
infrequently his voice is a familiar one in the vicinity of
Lake Winnepesaukee, and as far north as Franconia and
Jefferson, N. H.

There are very few of the woodland singers that are
equally gifted with the Wood Thrush; only the Hermit
excels him in melody and in brilliant execution, and it is
a question whether any of his other relatives can rival
him either in tone of voice or in song motive. His notes
are usually in clusters of three, and these are of equal
value * ; the commonest one of the clusters is an admira-
ble rendering of the so-called tonic, the third, and the
fifth tones, thus:

Sve.
Allegro...

WS
“Come to me.

That is one of the best things the Thrush can do, and he
does it splendidly too; there is no doubt about his inter-
vals; they compose a perfect minor chord. After a
pause of a second or two the bird supplements the minor
with the major form a third lower, thus: «

* The Hermit, on the contrary, sustains his first note and follows
it with a series of rapid and brilliant ones.

240

Wood Thrush
(above)

WOOD THRUSH,

i
I am here.
Then after that comes something like this, with the last
note doubled:

Sweetest singer

which is immediately succeeded by a pretty relative
phrase with a vibrating final note:

a at 7 aN
“ Ptr
ma
LA Call
iia) _>.

CVZ

~~ Warbling cheerily.

Still the singer continues, and in a burst of feeling rap-
idly reels off the following:

an
~
—
=

“ -Tra-la-la-la-z-2-2z\"

There is a harmonic overtone to nearly all the notes
of the song, and frequently a strange and vibrant if not
harsh tone succeeds the three-note group, thus:

= Ss ZAOCQY
T

; al

It is difficult to explain the nature of a voice so pecul-
iarly musical; undoubtedly the Thrushes possess ex-
tremely short and extremely long vocal cords, and
probably the latter are vibrated along with the former
thus producing a singular effect of harmony. The rap-
idly repeated resonant note which frequently completes
a phrase has a distinct metallic ring which strongly re’

241

FAMILY Turdide.

minds one of the musical ripple of the blacksmith’s ham.
mer as it bounces upon the anvil between the blows dealt —
to the red-hot horse-shoe, Could it be possible that the
ancestor of this Thrush learned his song near the door-
way of Mime’s forge!

cap feet

+ noc? oS os
Ll

If one strings together a succession of the Wood
Thrush’s triplets the result is rather pleasing:

8yva.

Al .
Allegretto 2 a “a
Cc
- + , 5»
\\ i All Lge a "tT 2 CSli a
ee ee | ie
a
aa Se
: T
u
it

2 C)

and not altogether different from the following song
which was obtained in Englewood, N. J., on Hillside
Avenue:

8va. pe tn
es: Meaiien APLEE be hve FP"

a
A a
Na |
o i
. *
Av T Tl
ree if 1 ; Tt
r i | _*
i | a

The song of a bird which I listened to in the Arnold
Arboretum, near Boston, is not essentially different from
either of the above notations:

242

—

WOOD THRUSH,

fa
,
Allegretto. Sete:
i eS Se
a = (Sa
SS a CC |
ores. F a .
ty
Ge : ? |
—e iS
AT aca 8 Ti
it lg a |

This goes to prove that the essential character of the
Wood Thrush’s song is the comparative even value of the
first two of the three notes which constitute its common
form. No other Thrush sings exactly that way; the
Hermit’s notes are not even, and those of the Olive-back
although even are not limited to three.

The Wood Thrush is the one who sings in the vicinity of
New York and south of that point, indeed, I might just
as well say the rule also applies to Boston; but then, both
the Hermit and the Olive-back are occasionally heard
about the latter city en passant, and I very much doubt
whether one is likely to hear either bird around New
York or a considerable distance north of it. The com-
parative merits of the Thrushes as singers are, in a great
measure, a matter of opinion; but it is a question
whether such a brilliant vocalist as the Hermit can
be relegated to a second place relatively with any wood-
land singer in the world. The best proof of that bird’s
superiority may be found among the succeeding pages
where musical notations seem to make the truth very
plain. The facts of the case, however, do not in any
way disparage the splendid vocal ability of the Wood
Thrush; his music steals upon the senses like the open-
ing notes of the great Fifth Symphony of Beethoven: it
fills one’s heart with the solemn beauty of simple melody
rendered by an inimitable voice! No violin, no piano,
no organ confined to such a limited score can appeal to
one so strongly. The quality of tone is indescribably
fascinating; it is like the harmonious tinkling of crystal
wine-glasses combined with the vow angelica stop of the
cathedral organ. The song suggests divine inspiration;
to quote Mr. Cheney, ‘in a moment one is oblivious to

243

FAMILY Turdide.

all else, and ready to believe that the little song is notof
earth, but a wandering strain from the skies.” John
Burroughs, in Wake, Robin, calls it ‘‘ golden and
leisurely.” Certainly one is hypnotized by such music
as that, and even circumspect Mr. Torrey is captured
and writes admiringly about the surprising ‘‘ drop to
a deep contralto,” calls it ‘‘ the most glorious bit of vocal-
ism to be heard in our woods,” and records, apparently
with the delight of a musician, ‘‘ the tinkle or spray
of bell-like tones at the other extreme of the gamut”*;
and for my own part I think the rest of us must agree
with him!

Veery. Wil- This Thrush is very easily distinguished
sas: edna , {70m all the others by the unique charac-
Hytdeiohla rus" ter of both its coloring and song; the
fuscescens former is a peculiar tan-brown, the latter
L. 7.40 inches is a strange combination of slurred over-
May oth tones. The bird is shy and has been popu-
larly dubbed ‘‘ the skulking Veery.” His markings as
well as his colors are in strong contrast with those of the
Wood Thrush. Upper parts including wings and tail a
light golden brown like raw sienna; under parts inclu-
ding the throat white, with a delicate tinge of buff on
the sides of both throat and breast; small wedge-shaped
sienna spots also define the borders of throat, and are
sprinkled over the upper breast; sides white with a light
tintof gray. Femalesimilarly marked. Nest on or very
near the ground; it is built of dead leaves, shreds of
bark, and roots, and lined with finer rootlets and dried
grasses. Egg like that of the Wood Thrush, light green-
blue. This bird is common in eastern North America as
far north as Newfoundland and Manitoba; it breeds
from northern New Jersey northward, and southward
along the Alleghanies to North Carolina; it winters in
Central America. The situations preferred by the Veery
are the thick damp woods beside the river’s brink, and
the dense undergrowth of low woodlands; sometimes
the bird chooses a high, wooded knoll, but it is generally
very near the water.

* Vide, Footing it in Franconia, page 113.
244

VEERY.

The song of this Thrush with which Wilson himself
is apparently unfamiliar, though the bird was named
for him, is a most remarkable and beautiful glissando
of overtones, without melody, and in a measure without
definite pitch.* The tone effect at a distance is like the
metallic twang of the Jew’s harp; nearer by it resembles
a reedy, harmonic strain from an accordion swinging in
the air. Some one, I do not know who, has called the
song ‘‘ a spiral, tremulous silver thread of music.” The
song is generally composed of, first, a pianissimo up-
ward run of, perhaps, a minor third (a purely prelimi-
nary one), second, a downward chromatic run repeated
once, and third, another downward chromatic run, ap-
parently beginning a minor third or maybe a major
third below the other, and also repeated; the run in both
cases is an indefinite one; it might include a third, a
fourth, or even a fifth. The song could be represented —
in curving lines, thus:

O, veery, veery, very veery!

but I think it can be clearly and logically expressed in
musical notation, thus:

Sestenuto, This and the following records are twice 8va., exact pitch,
CIR as a ne

‘\

mp. *
QO, veery, veery, veery, veery.

To be sure there are variations of this form; for instance,
I have often heard a song with four, instead of five,
divisions, and with each of the three divisions succeed-
ing the first dropping approximately a third, thus:

* The fact that this Thrush sings far on into the evening hour has,
through popular misapprehension, earned for it the strange title,
American Nightingale!

245

FAMILY Turdide.

Apparently this is the form recorded by Mr; Cheney,
thus * ;

(Ye |
pi =——
= — a

a
"This record from Mr: Cheneys Wood Notes Wild
simply shows a different method of notation>

But the general principle remains the same; the swing-
ing slurs are there, and so is the sustained, deliberate
high tone, and the pianissimo introduction. I have also
heard another variation involving a complete change in
the relationship of the tones; in this instance the Veery
dropped the chromatic scale and adopted in its stead dis-
tinct intervals:

: accel.
Sostenato. : OR OTE a

£ RES SOS a
mp. ae s £F

The tones were bell-like and resonant, in fact, the singer
was the best of his kind I have ever heard. There isa
predominant overtone to all of the Veery’s notes, he
never whistles a perfectly clear tone unless it is that of
his call-note, the rather softly rendered whieu, but even
this is broadly slurred, just exactly as any one might
whistle it in token of surprise; so it does not in the re-
motest way resemble a pure, clear tone such as that
sung by the Chickadee. Moreover the bird has another

* Vide Wood Notes Wild, page 58.
240

VEERY.,

call-note, very loud and strongly burred, to which he
commonly resorts when annoyed or alarmed.

In Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway’s North American Birds
(vol. i., pg. 10) is this account of the song: ‘‘ There isa
solemn harmony and a beautiful expression which com-
bine to make the song of this Thrush surpass that of all
the other American Wood Thrushes”; it consists of
‘*an inexpressibly delicate metallic utterance of the syl-
lables ta-weel'ah, ta-weel'ah, ta-wil'ah, twil'ah, accom-
panied by a fine trill which renders it truly seductive.
The last two notes are uttered in a soft and subdued un-
dertone, thereby producing, in effect, an echo of the
others.” This description coincides perfectly with my
first notation which represents with tolerable accuracy

_. that duplication of the tones which the author calls an

echo. Nelson considers the Veery’s song the most spir-
itual one of all the wild-wood singers, and perhaps he is
right, for the bird sings a vesper hymn to the dying day,
and unless he stirred the deepest feelings of te heart at
such a solemn hour, we could never have had these
beautiful lines from the pen of Dr. van Dyke:

' “The moonbeams over Arno’s vale in silver flood were

pouring,

When first I heard the nightingale a long-lost love
deploring.

So passionate, so full of pain, it sounded strange and
eerie;

I longed to hear a simpler strain—the wood-notes of
the Veery.

FAMILY Turdide.

But far away, and far away, the Tawny Thrush is
singing;

New England’s woods at close of day, with that clear
chant are ringing;

And when my light of life is low, and heart and flesh
are weary,

I fain would hear before I go, the wood-notes of the
Veery.”

Gray-cheeked The Gray-cheeked Thrush is seen only in
Thrush ~—_the time of migration, and its song from the
Hylocichlaalicie ‘ r A = . 5
L. 7.60 inches ™usical point of view still remains undis-
May 15th covered. That it must be distinctly differ-
ent from the songs of all the other Thrushes goes without
saying, but that there should be a radical difference in ton-
ality, pitch, and scale, or in the thrushlike character of the
melody, is next toimpossible. This Thrush is boreal, and to
hear the song one must journey to the evergreen forests of
northern Canada and Labrador. Without doubt, in the
wildernesses of the far North and nowhere else, the music of
this unfamiliar species would reveal something not to be
found in any of the other Thrushes’ Songs—the question is,
what? During migration, as far as my knowledge goes, the
bird does not sing, and the call note, a sharp, nasal cree-a,
gives one no clew as to the character of the full song. Bick-
nell’s Thrush is a sub-species, merely a smaller form of this
Thrush, and if the relationship between the two is so very
close, then there should be a correspondingly close resem-
blance between their songs in some essential particular.

The upper parts of the Gray-cheeked Thrush are brown-
ish olive similar to that of the Olive-backed Thrush, the
eye ring whitish, the region between the eye and the
bill grayish, sides of the throat and the breast very slightly
tinged with pale buff, the spotting exactly like that of the
Olive-Backed Thrush. The nest is built of dry grasses,
leaves and shreds of bark lined with finer material. Egg,
greenish blue flecked with burnt-sienna brown.

This species breeds in the Hudsonian zone from Alaska
and the western Yukon territory in the region of the
Mackenzie River to central Ungava, Labrador, and New-

248

EE ———

BICKNELL’S THRUSH.

foundland*; it winters in northern South America. It was
named for Miss Alice Kennicott of Illinois.

Bicknell’s Bicknell’s Thrushf is very similar to the
Thrush ~—_ preceding of which it is a subspecies, the
Hylocichlaalicie ’,. - :

bicknelli difference is rather one of size more than

L. 7.00 inches anythingelse. It is a mountain species with
May 2sth a song remarkably like that of the Veery
especially in its tonal quality. The colors are practically
the same as those of the Gray-cheeked Thrush, but the
upper parts, especially the tail, are a trifle darker and
browner; indeed it may be called the darkest of all the
Thrushes, although I should call that difference very tri-
fling. But the differences between the Thrushes when
we compare their songs are absolute and invariable. The
nest of Bicknell’s Thrush is built in a stunted tree or low
bush, generally in the recesses of the tangled growth of
dwarf spruces or firs on the shoulder or crest of some
mountain of the northeastern States, at an altitude of not
less than 2500 feet. Its structure is similar to that of the
Gray-cheeked Thrush, the egg, perhaps, is a greener blue
more finely speckled than that of the Olive-backed Thrush.

The song of this Thrush is interesting, but is not com-
parable with that of the Hermit or the Olive-back. Its
close resemblance to the song of the Veery inclines one to
- question whether the two species may not be more nearly
related than the ornithologist has determined; but that the
music of a given species should be accounted a diagnostic
point in matters of relationship with other species probably
would draw onlya smile from the skeptical ornithologistwho
prefers scientifically to depend upon bones and feathers.{

But compare the records of the songs of the Veery on

*Vide Report on Natural History Collections made in Alaska.
Edw. W. Nelson.

t Named for Eugene P. Bicknell, its discoverer.

ft That, however, leaves two unaccountably similar birdsongs in
the lurch the origin of which the scientist has been at no pains to
discover. Now, it seems to me a perfectly logical conclusion that
strikingly similar effects are deducible from a common cause, and
' one is justified in concluding that the common ancestry of Bick-
nell’s Thrush and the Veery are identical on the basic idea that

differences in dimensions and color are due more to environment
than to inheritance,

249

FAMILY Turdide.

pages 246 with the following records and it is unnecessary
to draw attention to their remarkable similarity. Besides
the trivial difference of pitch, a matter at most of a major
seventh (the smaller species having the higher voice), there
remains only a final group of notes in the Bicknell song
which has no place in that of the Veery.

Sostenuto. Thrice 8va . . . . . . * . . * .
a’ Winsome

me Sea, Wee--o, wWee--0, Wee--o tit-ti wee--o
Those ascending notes absolutely decide the species; no
other bird but Bicknelli sings that song, how much or how
little of it Alicie sings remains to be discovered, but that he
must sing some of it, no matter how little, there can be no
possible shadow of doubt, otherwise Bicknelli could not
be a subspecies of Alicia.

The same effect of a “silvery spiral thread of music”
obtains in this bird’s song as it does in the Veery’s, the
same vague, mysterious descent of three or four mixed
tones but with the addition of a distinctly solitary one—or
perhaps two—and a final uprising mixed tone. These two
records obtained on Mt. Mansfield, Vermont, close to
the Summit house, under the “‘Nose’’ and in the very
midst of the breeding ground of Bicknell Thrushes show
no very marked differences of structure:

prestezuto Thrice Sva.. .

OF a a :
Midd a VY PAT
= Se tt { ! —
nS _——_ —
—_—— “ae
mf acce =

The high C is the final C of the piano, and a practiced and
musical ear will detect an initial tone in some songs even
higher. But the actual pitch of the song is less important

250

BICKNELL’S THRUSH

BICKNELL’S THRUSH,

\
than its final ascent of the scale, that is unique! The call
notes of this mountain Thrush are like those of the Veery
but in most instances nearly an octave higher.

Legato wand mes Sra. TE eg oR: POA yan aya Ue SRT Pony

Whieu, Whieu, Whieu, Whieu Whieun Ue-e
Call notes.

Bicknell’s Thrush is by no means an uncommon bird, at
least at an elevation of three thousand feet. On the crest
of Cannon Mountain and among the dwarf spruces on the
- shoulders of Mt. Lafayette in the Franconia Notch, he is
always in evidence along with the Olive-backed Thrush in
June and early July; but the latter bird nests rather lower
down in more sheltered spots. I have heard several times
the songs of both these Thrushes simultaneously, notably
on the occasion of a visit with some lady friends to the
charming wilderness camp of the late William C. Prime at
Lonesome Lake on the southern slope of Cannon Mountain.
Here, indeed, is the ‘‘ Lodge in some vast wilderness’”’ for
which the poet Cowper yearned, here is the home of the
mountain Thrush who flutes his weird and silvery threnody
_ to the dying day! This is the like of the Mountain Tarn
—but margined with American Labrador Tea and moun-
tain Vacciniums—of which Frederick Faber wrote:

There is a-power to bless
In hillside loneliness,
In tarns and dreary places;
A virtue in the brook,
A freshness in the look
Of mountains’ joyless faces.

Bradford Torrey renders the song of this Thrush in syl-
lables which are not difficult for me to fit to the records I
made at Lonesome Lake. His form wee-o at the end,
however, might prove misleading, for the Thrush rises on
the musical scale at precisely that finale, and Mr. Torrey
uses the same syllables for the first part of the song where
the bird’s voice falls; hence it would have been wiser to

251

FAMILY Turdidz.

have employed a different syllabic form for the rise. Never-
theless Mr. Torrey’s description is delightfully happy—‘I
stood on the piazza while they sang in full chorus. At
least six of them were in tune at once. Wee-o, wee-o, wee-o,
tit-ti wee-o,—something like this the music ran, with many
variations; a most ethereal sound, at the very top of the
scale, but faint and sweet; quite in tune also with my mood,
for I had just come in from gazing long at the sunset, with
Lake Champlain like a sea of gold for perhaps a hundred
miles, and a stretch of the St. Lawrence showing far away
in the north.”” And again, ‘‘The moment the road entered
the ancient forest, the Olive-backs began to make them-
selves heard, and, half-way up the mountain path the Gray-
cheeks (Bicknell’s) took up the strain and carried it on to
its heavenly conclusion. A noble processional!’’*

Olive-backed This Thrush is far more retiring than
Thrush the Hermit Thrush. His home is prefera-
Swainson’s = bly within the spruce or deciduous forests
Thrush >
Hylocichla ustu-Of the north, and usually at a considerable
lata swainsont altitude. In coloring he nearly resembles
L. 7.00inches the Hermit, but the tail is olive-colored
May 2oth like the back, and there is a conspicuous
ring of buff about the eye. Upper parts brown olive
including wings and tail. Under parts white with a
suffusion of buff; spots on throat similar to those of the
Hermit; round spots on breast. at the tips of feathers;
sides of the face from the bill backward clear buff with
brown streaks. Female similarly marked. Nest built
in low bushes or small trees, and situated about four
feet or less from the ground; it is woven of coarse
grasses, mosses, leaves, strips of bark, and fine rootlets.
This Thrush appears in the middle States later in spring
and earlier in fall than the Hermit; its breeding range is
the same as his; it winters in the West Indies and Cen-—
tral and South America.

The song of Swainson’s Thrush is one of the most
charming examples of a harmony in suspension which
it is possible to find in all the realm of music. The bird

* Vide The Footpath Way, pp. 19 and 94.
252

OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.

deliberately chooses a series of even intervals and climbs
up the scale with a thought entirely single to harmoni-
ous results. Technically the song is compassed by a di-
minished seventh; it ascends in two-note groups, the notes
evidently separated by minor third intervals with each
second note the lower of the two; it might be repre-
sented by a zigzag line thus:

crescendo.

f fove love! love l love you!

Cénstractively considered the music strongly resembles
these somewhat meandering but soothing phrases in the
first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata:

2 a SS ——ute teste

con
The great musician, however, goes slow and continues the
theme; the bird does not, but after giving the third or
fourth rapid group of notes, is dissatisfied with the pitch

and tries a lower or a higher one, thus:
~“_<

d= S8va, P—~ Sv. es
Allegro. See tres i J, 3
| | a

lave, I love, I love, I love you! Ilove,/ love, 1 lave, I love you!

Like all the northern Thrushes, he is a transcendentalist,
who is never satisfied with a creditable effort, but must
try for something better and then “goes to pieces” in
the attempt! Here is as near a representation of that
idea as it is possible to get; notice how the bird contiau-
ally tries for something on a higher key,.and finally en is
with a jumble of high notes:

253

FAMILY Turdide.

the bird sings va. 4 <
io sings 8 va.
Hhleg ro. J=% bom a 3 on
Z PONE 0 Ger cs Se
S > P -= Q
| MG ER | Be I Lf
; A
j i a aL °
* _é
- | t
—— = =
W + The higher tones of this Thrushare, like
those of the Wood Thrush, decidedly harmonic.

oe | al reson
geirritepG ies
‘ ¥ +
r4 orb fi <p eas. fp accel. sf
Mic Slee 2 Yh
as if ;

We tries a higher key as he advances,— and findl r goes fo pieces in
ad the Tian ten ke abovet

There are two ways of presenting the Olive-back’s song,
either of which is correct; there is a very slight overtone
to the notes, and each one of the groups is rather closely
connected with the next; therefore my following nota-
tion taken of a song heard in the Franconia Mountains,
in June, need not be considered essentially different
from the previous notations obtained in another locality
nearly a month later.

Allegro. Re gee 5 ef 1S es —
P= oe
r bY

an’
ae cn 4
7

i ia

Again, the next is a memorandum taken near Arlington
Heights, Mass., where, on May 23d, the bird sang while
on his way to his home in the spruce forest far in the
north,

254

Hermit Thrush Olive-backed Thrush
(above) (below

HERMIT THRUSH,

In a letter recently received from Prof. Theodore Clark
Smith, now of Williams College, Mass., he gives me a musi-
cal sketch of a rather long song of the Olive-back show-
ing a series of ascending note-groups not unlike my
notation above.

4@ The — PPP
ps acs = —-

' ‘ '

Prof 7. C. Smith’ notation.

This goes to prove that two observers have practi-
cally arrived at the same conclusion, after having
studied the Thrush in widely separated localities—for
Prof, Smith’s notation was taken scores of miles away
from Arlington Heights. I know of no other exist-
ing records of the Olive-back’s music, and there are
few descriptions of it in print. Dr. J. Dwight, Jr., of
New York, writes, ‘‘ The effect of the beautiful song is
much enhanced by the evening hush in which it is most
often heard. It lacks the leisurely sweetness of the
Hermit Thrush’s outpourings, nor is there pause, but in
a lower key and with greater energy it bubbles on
rapidly to a close rather than fading out with the soft
melody of its renowned rival.”

saree oe The Hermit Thrush, from a musical
ylocich

pe * point of view, is certainly the Nightingale
L.7.1sinches Of America; there is no other woodland
April isth singer who is his equal. His coloring is
not particularly bright; on the contrary, it is rather
more subdued than the quiet brown tones of the Wood
Thrush. Upper parts olive-brown (sometimes more of a
cinnamon brown) merging into a decided light red-
brown on the tail; the spots wedge-shaped at tips of

255

PAMILY Turdidx.

feathers on sides of the throat; but round in the centre
of feathers on the breast; they do not extend as far
down over the under parts as they do upon the Wood
Thrush; under parts white with a slight suffusion of
buff. Female similarly marked. Nest on the ground;
it is built of moss, coarse grasses, and leaves, and lined
with rootlets and pine needles. Egg pale green-blue.
This bird is common throughout eastern North America;
it breeds from the northern United States northward,
and southward in the higher Alleghanies to Pennsyl-
vania; it winters from southern Illinois and New Jersey
to the Gulf States.

The song of the Hermit Thrush is the grand climax of
all bird music; it is unquestionably so far removed from
all the rest of the wild-wood singers’ accomplishments
that vaunted comparisons are invidious and wholly out
of place. Still, it is necessary to show the nature of this
superb songster’s pre-eminence, and that can only be done
by comparing his style with that of other birds. Ac-
cording to Barrington’s estimate of the comparative
merits of English song-birds the Nightingale (Philomela
luscinia) scores the highest mark in mellowness of tone
and depth of expression; in compass of voice and facility
of execution he considers the bird without a rival on the
other. side of the water. But Barrington did not know
the Hermit Thrush, and it is doubtful, if he did, whether
British prejudice would allow him to remove the Night-
ingale from the niche of fame and put in its place an
American bird unknown to the poets. For think what
that would mean! those who have sung the praises of the
Nightingale are many and famous—Von Der Vogelweide,
Petrarch, Gil Vicente, Shakespeare, Milton, Drummond,
Cowper, Coleridge, Byron, Heine, Shelley, Keats, Long-
fellow, Arnold, Mulock, and Christina G. Rossetti.
What a list it is! And shall the Hermit Thrush reach
fame through the medium of greater minds than these?
Note the beauty of this vivid pen-picture by Matthew
Arnold:

** Hark! ah, the Nightingale—
The tawny-throated!

256

HERMIT THRUSH.

Hark from that moonlit cedar what a burst!
What triumph! hark!—what pain! —

Listen, Eugenia—

How thick the bursts come crowding through
the leaves!

Again—thou hearest!—

Eternal passion!

Eternal pain!”

I wonder what he would have written in an ode to the
American bird! certainly less about passion and pain,
and more about musical bursts of triumph. As regards
sentiment in a bird’s song, that, as I have already said,
depends upon one’s state of mind; the passionate and
plaintive notes of the Nightingale apparently have no
place in the Hermit’s song; our gifted Thrush sings
more of the glory of life and less of its tragedy, more of
the joy of heaven and less of the passion of earth. That
is a purely human point of view all the more significant
because one bird sings to the European, and the other to
the American ear!

H. D. Minot, comparing English with American birds,
writes, ‘‘the Nightingale had a most wonderful com-
pass, and was the greatest of all bird vocalists, but with
a less individual and exquisite genius than our Wood
Thrush.” In the vales of Tuscany, Italy, one of the best
places in Europe to hear the Nightingale sing (possibly
excepting the banks of the Volga, in Russia), there is
ample opportunity to listen to the exquisite trills, and
solemn overtones of that famous bird, but an expe-
rienced ear will not discover in the song anything like
the melody of the Hermit Thrush. Musical notation is,
of course, wholly inadequate to express the remarkable,
appealing quality of the Nightingale’s voice, but the
construction of the song is perfectly represented ; the
following is a transcription taken from Lescuyer’s Lan-
gage et Chant des Oiseaux : it shows how very simple the

237

FAMILY Turdide.

construction is in comparison with that of the Hermit’s
song *:

Slimes va.

+s A. mos -. i tT
T ST CS A OD
a > ee se es
_ - Ll . \ Ll
—
Expressivo. ‘
Pat
we A rT
SI i
dididid alata
Li ll Te » Ll

Also, the next transcription, taken from Athanasius
Kircher’s Musurgia Universalis written as early as the
year 1590, still more pointedly shows the extreme melodic
limitation of the Nightingale; the fragment is a justly
representative one.

Now the Hermit Thrush is an altogether different kind
of a singer, as the ensuing notations willshow. He is
brilliant in execution beyond description, as versatile in
melody as a genius, and as pure in his tones as refined
silver. It would be useless to attempt a representation
of the song by a series of dots and dashes; the mechani-
cal rhythm is completely overshadowed by the wonder-
ful way in which the singer delivers his sustained tonic
and then embroiders it with a rapid and brilliant cadenza.
The one prime point which distinguishes the song of this
Thrush from all others, is the long, loud, liquid-clear
tone with which it is begun; here is an illustration:

+1
Ll

y
*Un jeune Fg repre vient de mettre en musique le chant du
Rossignol. Voici paroles de ce petit chef-d’ceuvre:

Tiudu, tidu, tidu, tidu, utio, qutio, qutio, qutio,
Lpé tid zqua ; Zquo, ZQUO, ZqUO, ead”
uorror pipu, Zi, zi. zi, zi, zi, zi, zi
0, tio, tio, tio, tix ; Quorror ‘tia zqua ‘pipiql }

255

HERMIT THRUSH.

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FAMILY Turdide.

This is completely beyond the ability of the Nightingale;
it is a theme worthy of elaboration at the hands of a
master musician; but the Hermit does his own elabora-
ting as my succeeding notations will show.

If there are those who suppose that the Veery is the only
bird which sings late in the evening they are greatly mis-
taken, for here is a set of records taken from two Hermits
which sang at ten minutes of eight on June 29, 1903, ina
pasture directly behind my house in Campton, N. H.

= eed * ia
egro. rer, aim. ~~ ~ - y 2 ai >
| al
. |
:

mas FA ‘ cres. f - ‘NS
at ee. a. wh | > aes
we 1
i iil
ss J. Li
474. varia this theme
ae will Be ound inN° 7
i as a
“T Tl 17
; 7 Sk” a a ” |
- . [4 ¥ ’
: = : —
5&6 are beautiful” themes. pe
cres mm. e. mS e
“= Tih * |
Y :
= + a0
tm Cou, .

HERMIT THRUSH.

Some of the themes are in the minor key and some in
the major; some are plaintive, others are joyous, all are
melodious; there is no score of the Nightingale which
can compare with such records as these; notice particu-
larly the fifth one. It must be remembered, however,
that bird songs are most ethereal things, a great deal
like the wonderful tinting and delicate spiral weaving
in Venetian glass; one must see the color or hear
the melody in order to fully appreciate its subtile beauty;
the song is charming because of its spirituality of tone
and its depth of expression; how can the meagre out-
lines of music notation convey such truths! Who can
justly report the Hermit’s song! there is a silvery sus-
tained tone like that of a flute, then a burst of brilliant
scintillating music:

and the song’s complete,
With such a wealth of melody sweet
As never the organ pipe could blow
And never musician think or know!

One of the most fantastic and perhaps extraordinary
themes I ever heard from this Thrush, was obtained late
in July, in the White Mountains:

Jillegro. aN / nf ieeeeare G

q > a
da.
he im, P S grrr
~ va T
a t — sa t
2 bl bs in e
f fe, +
i L Ss)
sii =I
TH T
i, itt
“= a

201

FAMILY Turdide.

In structure it closely resembles that tempestuous and
wild movement that opens the finale of Beethoven's
Moonlight Sonata:

Constructively the Hermits music resembles this; but the bird
. reverses the order of dynamics.

= “ }
ra i i i i ae | i ’
. a a a a a a a.
ci —_ : — a. s — ic . Ss rr a r4
# £ #¢ $= $F Z

But Beethoven emphasizes the tonic at the close of the
run; the Hermit does so in the beginning; both bits of
music progress in presto time, and both rush onward to
a high climax, The Thrush moreover is a transcenden-
talist, he climbs higher than his voice will carry, and
like many another aspiring songster, makes a ludicrous
failure of the highest notes. After one or two bad
breaks, which apparently threaten the woodland sym-
phony with the ignominy of disaster, the Hermit—who
sings the prima donna’s part in the score—seems to say
to himself, after a short pause, ‘‘See here, my fine fel-
low, this will never do, that portamento was out of
place, and the high note sounded like the whetting of a
scythe! Try a lower key and silence that ‘Swainson’
over yonder mouthing his zigzag notes as though he
were trying to make them creep upstairs! Shucks!
Show him how to soar!” And the bird is at it again
entirely oblivious of the fact that he steadily climbs in
keys until he goes to pieces again somewhere around G
sharp, whole octaves higher than the limit of the piano!
Such is the character of the singer and hissong. But
what a consummate tone artist heis! Not content with
a single key, he deliberately chooses several in major and
minor relationship, and elaborates these with perfectly
charming arpeggios and wonderful ventriloquous triads,
executed with all the technical skill of a master singer.
And what a wealth of melody there isin his varied themes!
Note the suggestive motives of the following record ;

=02

HERMIT THRUSH.

Allegro. \ » Faeteti
& ae ge
tito es +t Sf

D >
bbs L roo
a»
Bva--a°-
fe atate
Dos Poe Se at oe
Vi 7 gi 4
ee ,4 j +4
ff \V VY 5 yt = kl
—_i

Wagner himself, in the Ring of the Nibelung, has
scarcely given a better song to the bird that addresses
Siegfried, than this which a Hermit Thrush gave me
one afternoon on a ferny hill of Campton.

Pp.

O! wheel-y-will-y-will-y-il.

And how close it is to the last passage here in Wagner's
music, which one will recognize at once as the Tarnhelm
motive. The little bird sang this strain, together with
the Rhine daughter’s motive, to Siegfried,

263

FAMILY Turdidz.

This was. th® Rhine Pte ang
Moderato. stste > tive which the little r SANG.
nT T

m sempre po Hi / Siegfried. doth
t @_» - <tc
. 1

it ‘ )
SU *
” hold now the Nibelungs holard: b*

But we have not yet exhausted the resources of the
musicianly Thrush. In Richard Strauss’s Symphonia
Domestica occurs this melodic phrase:

gag Sytyetonnt Domestions Racer Seaman =}

fit
Fd v

< omer ao

soak

‘

Either Dr. Strauss copied the Hermit or the Hermit
copied Dr. Strauss (if we choose to think music is some-
times plagiarized), for the bird sang that very phrase,
July 1, 1901, in a pasture in Campton, but this way:

Somehow or other the motives of the Hermit all fit
together in a remarkably harmonious fashion, and it is
a very simple matter to combine the antiphonal songs of
two singers so they form a unit of musical thought;
here is a demonstration of that idea; I have not inter-
fered in the least with the key or a single note of any
one of the phrases,

264

' HERMIT THRUSH.

d = 46 PR
Allegro. mf<f fe a ™,
f = -
Ww *
mf <= ea! oO, My glily,cometome!
O,| Sereno TE syrio$- la f r
TE 4 Ly rz" t
= = ae yy
; Oe GE ee - a
fh dine.
- =
| dim.
“ iF dilio’- Bilee! 2 seraphos, seraploe/
1 } . pI .
7 : m4 ?
- ET OR 0
me — et 8va2......
Z Pe, ota
2 2 oT
. ~ F SF | | ~~ iL i | "jj =
T tad + ? = 4
7) Tuilerie, Tailerie! Comet > nee PP:
@ e a? < oe
a p i 1) 1?
L
«a
J, es t TL
% D

There is nothing the Wood Thrush can do which will
compare with a performance like this. I am sorry to
disagree with the opinions of several writers on orni-
thology who find certain restrictions in the Hermit’s
song, and think the notes are not remarkable for variety
or volume, but it seems to me, the magnitude of this
Thrush’s melodic ability, not to speak of his brilliant ex-
ecution, is beyond the conception of any one until he
devotes at least three or four seasons to a studied analy-
sis of the music. Some of the notes possess sufficient
volume to be distinctly heard at a distance of a quarter
of a mile, yet unless one is within thirty feet or less of
the singer, it is impossible to catch the tout ensemble
of the song, or gauge the extent of its melodic variety,

265

FAMILY Turdide.

There is an immense contrast in the dynamics of the
song; it ranges from pp to ff ; there is nothing of this kind
which characterizes the Wood Thrush’s music. Also,
there is a remarkable, mysterious overtone, purely har-
monic and ventriloquistic in quality, which at times
dominates the cadenza of the song and holds the listener
in rapt surprise! Unless one is very near the singer this,
and all the wonderful pianissimo effects are completely
lost. Onthe contrary, at near range, some of the more
powerful notes are almost ear-splitting. I am not alone
in this estimate of the Hermit’s song, as the following
lines from the pen of Prof. Theodore Clarke Smith will
testify *: ‘‘ The voice of the Hermit Thrush was made in-
dividual by overtones giving it a considerable richness
and penetration and even a metallic burr or buzz. It
suggested somewhat the reed-quality of the oboe super-
added to a flute’s open tone. . . . The ‘ burr’ was
audible at short rangesonly. At a hundred yards or less
it blended to give the voice a singularly ringing metallic
quality which gave it a carrying power unapproached
by any other bird of thatregion. . . . Heard from
a very close range the long full notes were fairly pierc-
ing, so sweet, full, and vibrant were they. They were
too loud for comfort, and when the bird suddenly began
to sing while perched on a fence about ten feet from my |
tent it fairly made my ears ring.” Prof. Smith has also
stated that he heard this Thrush’s song at a distance of
fully three quarters of a mile over Lake Memphrema-
gog. After such testimony as this it does not seem
necessary to further refute the statement that the Her-
mit Thrush’s song is lacking in volume. As for the
variety of his notes, the notations herewith speak for
themselves; and lest anyone should think these are a bit
florid, I again take the liberty of quoting from Prof.
Smith’s article, and suggest that his following notation
be compared with some of mine:

* Vide The Ohio Naturalist, Vol. ILL, No. 4, pg. 371. A Hermit
Thrush Song. This isa truthful and most excellent analysis of
the music of this remarkable Thrush, whose song is not as familia”
to the bird-lover as it ought to be.

2600

BIRDS OF WINTER, SPRING, AND AUTUMN.

a —

oe, >
Prof TC. Smiths notation.

Undoubtedly we both have listened to the same species
of Thrush, else the similarity of song-construction would
be wholly unaccountable.

Wilson was apparently ignorant of the music of this
Thrush, and many other writers have been content with
recording the fact that the bird is an eminent vocalist,
but Mr. Cheney as a musician valued the singer as only
a musician can, and has compared the climax of the
song to the bursting of a musical rocket that fills the air
with silver tones! Yes, the tones are silver—burnished
silver, and sweeter far than those of any instrument
created by the hand of man! The singer, too, is a bird
of genius; a gentle and retiring spirit ; the first of the
Thrushes to come, the last to go, the soonest to pipe his
joyous lay after the clearing away of the storm, the last
to sing the vesper hymn, and the earliest to open the
matutinal chorus at break of day. It was of him the
~ poet wrote:

‘*T heard from morn to morn a merry Thrush
Sing hymns of rapture, while I drank the sound
With joy—and oft an ia hg guest,
I watched him. .

BIRDS OF WINTER, EARLY SPRING, AND LATE
AUTUMN

This somewhat elastic classification includes three
members of the two Owl Families, Alconide and Strigide;
one member each of the Kingfisher Family, Alcedinide,
the Woodpecker Family, Picide, the Flycatcher Family,
Tyrannide, the Starling Family, Sturnide, and the Wax-
wing Family, Bombycillide; and many members of the
Finch or Sparrow Family, Fringillide. With four excep-

267

BIRDS OF WINTER, SPRING, AND AUTUMN,

tions (Barn Owl, Alder Flycatcher, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and
Cardinal) all of these birds may be found in the northerly
States during the winter, although the Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker, Belted Kingfisher, and Savannah Sparrow, as
the case may be, do not linger farther north than Massa-
chusetts, southern New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and
Illinois. The Cardinal is a distinctly southern bird, but it
is sometimes found about Washington in the winter.
Many birds with respect to a winter list are merely casual
visitants, others are permanent residents. Few sing in
winter, and these are generally members of the Fringillide

division. Our winter birds may be listed as follows:

Bos-WHITE

LONG-EARED OWL

SHORT-EARED OWL

BaRRED OWL

ScrEECH OWL

Great Hornep OWL

Snowy Ow.

KINGFISHER

Harry WoopDPECKER

Downy WoopPEcKER

Arctic THREE-TOED Woop-
PECKER

YELLOW-BELLIED Sap-
SUCKER

NORTHERN PILEATED
W OoDPECKER

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER

FLICKER

Crow

Buus Jay

CANADA JAY

STARLING

CowBIRD

MEADOWLARK

EVENING GROSBEAK

Pine GROSBEAK

Rep CrossBiLL

Wuite Wina’p CRossBILL

REDPOLL

PurpPLe Fincu

Am. GOLDFINCH

SNOWFLAKE '

Ipswich SPARROW

SAVANNAH SPARROW

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW

TREE SPARROW

JUNCO

Sona SPARROW

Swamp SPARROW

Fox Sparrow

BoHEMIAN WAXWING

CreparR WAxwING

NORTHERN SHRIKE

WINTER WREN

Myrtr_Le WARBLER

Brown CREEPER

WHITE-BREASTED NotT-
HATCH

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH

CHICKADEE

HupsoniIAN CHICKADEE

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET

Rosin

268

BARN OWL.

Family Aluconide. Barn OwLs.

A family related to the Goatsuckers, but sharing with
the other owls their characteristic habits.

Barn Owl A southern species rarely found north o.
Aluco pratincola 7 ong Island, absolutely nocturnal in habit,
L. r5=18 inches ‘ .
All the year 20d keeping itself well concealed through
the day. Its physiognomy is triangular
heart-shaped rather than rounded and is singularly like
that of a monkey. It is very nearly related to the
European species Strix flammea which has an almost
world-wide range. The upper parts are ocher-buff mixed
with gray and speckled with sepia and white, face and
under parts varying from white to buff with the marginal
feathers tipped with brown of an ocherous or ruddy tone;
wings and tail barred and spotted with sepia, the eyes black.
Nest in barn gables, towers, and steeples. Egg white
unmarked. This species breeds from New York south-
ward into Mexico.

The common note of this owl is an unmusical geep, geep,
similar to that of the Night Hawk, or else the bird on
extraordinary occasions lets out an unearthly, blood-curdl-
ing scream which entitles him to be esteemed an evil
creature. The poet Burns must have had just such screams
in mind when he wrote of circumspect Tam o’Shanter—

‘“Whiles glowering around wi’ prudent cares
Lest bogles catch him unawares,
Kirk-Alloway was drawing nigh,

Where ghaists and houlets nightly cry.”

There is no questioning the point that an owl’s idea of
music is writ in blood and tragedy; why not? If you hap-
pen to have examined the contents of some seventeen owls’
stomachs and found therein the remains of mice* are you
not convinced?

Family Strigide. Ow.s.

In this family, aside from several structural differences,
is included the very obvious ones, the rounded face-disks
and the large external ears.

'* That is a record of Mr. Fisher's investigations.

269

FAMILY Strigide.

Barred or One of our commonest Owls, resident
ro Ow! throughout the year except at the most
irvix varia ae Z - ° -

L. 21.75 inches 20rtherly limit of its range, which is Hudson
All the year Bay and Newfoundland; thence it extends
south to Kansas and Georgia. Like the Snowy Owl, it is
round-headed—without ear-tufts. Its colors are a general
grayish brown, each feather with buffy white bars on the
sides, its face has well-defined grayish disks surrounding
dark brown eyes with black pupils, tail with six to eight
buffy bars, under parts dull white, barred on the breast,
and broadly streaked with sepia brown on the sides and
belly. Nest in a hollow tree; sometimes it is a remodeled
old one of a crow or large Hawk. Egg white, nearly two
inches long; from two to four are laid. ‘‘In New York,”
Mr. Eaton writes, ‘‘it is undoubtedly the commonest Owl
in the Adirondacks, and is still common in all the more
wooded districts of the State.” It is also one of the most
familiar Owls of the White Mountain district at all times
of the year, particularly in the autumn.

The notes of this Owl are as melodramatic as one can
possibly imagine, deep-toned, and sentimentally expressive
of misery—yet that is the human point of view! Possibly
with his Whoo-whoo-whoo, Wh-whoo, to-whoo-ah—which
has given the bird the name “Eight hooter’’ among the
Adirondack Woods guides—he addresses his mate in terms
of endearment, but it does not sound that way! The
tones are mostly in E, or not far away from it, close to
the middle C of the piano, and they should appear on
the musical staff, thus:

Moderato

ot
Hay— > =x - i>
‘ape 4

Whoo, hed hols wh- shh to -whdox h!
mf ;
The next to the last syllable descends the scale indefinitely
to ah and is entirely different in quality of tone from the
whoos—it is a sheeplike blatt. There is unending variety to
the uncanny, mirthless performance of two or three Hoot
Owls, the sounds mostly suggesting demoniacal and
derisive laughter. Some authors also attribute to this

270

nak 7 ;

”

Snowy Ow.

“SNOWY OWL.

Owl a nerve-racking, blood-curdling shriek in a higher
pitched voice, but I have been unfortunate or, perhaps,
fortunate enough not to have heard that!

Snowy Ow! —— This handsome, large, white Ow! is easily
eae recognized, for none other is white, and
November roth there is a distinct advantage to the observer
April 20th in its being diurnal in its habits, though like
other Owls it is more active in the dusk of the evening.
Mr. Eaton reports that in the State of New York, the duck
hunters are sometimes surprised to see it descend upon
their decoys while they are concealed in their blinds! It
_ not infrequently has been my experience to have observed
it in broad daylight flying above the highway or through
the cool woodland of the White Mountains in winter and
as early as October and as late as April; that is not sur-
prising for it isa cold country, and one may encounter snow
flurries in both those months through that region as far
south as Plymouth and West Ossipee. The male Owls are
smaller and whiter than the females, though both are more
or less flecked or barred with a dilute sepia brown on.the
crown, back, wings, tail, and often the lower breast; the
face, throat, and upper breast are unmarked; feet hidden
with very thick, white feathering, eyes yellow, bill black
imbedded in feathers, no ear-tufts. Distinctly arctic in
its range, it. wanders southward at very irregular intervals;
during the winters of 1876, ’82, ’83, ’89, 90, 1901, ’02, ’14,
"17 it appeared in unusual numbers in the northeastern
portions of the United States and in Canada. It breeds as
far south as central Ungava and Keewatin, and its winter
flights occasionally extend to the Carolinas, Louisiana, and
Texas. The nest is built on the ground, or in the sheltered
nook of some rocky cliff; it is commonly lined with moss
and feathers. Egg white, about 2.20 inches long.

I have no record of the Snowy Owl’s voice, but if we may
believe what Pennant writes of it, there is nothing worse
possessed by any bird, the Loon not excepted—‘“‘It adds
horror even to the regions of Greenland by its hideous cries
which resemble those of a man in deep distress.”” Why not
come nearer home and say it almost equals the hair-raising,
blood-curdling yells of an ordinary city cat’s nocturne!

271

FAMILY Alcedinide.

Family Alcedinide.

rap : This is the “‘Lone Fisherman” of the
Cake Toke birds, an altogether interesting though song-
L. 12.78 less character. Alert and energetic the
April ist Kingfisher takes a commanding position
over the pool and nothing that happens on its surface
escapes his eye, quick as a flash he darts down at the water
and in another moment he is hammering the life out of
some small fish on the rock near his perch, then the crushed
fish, perhaps three or four inches long, is swallowed whole—
head first! The bird utters an unmusical, rattling chuckle
after he secures his prey.

The Belted Kingfisher breeds from the far northwestern
limit of trees and Labrador south to the Gulf coast; it
winters from Massachusetts, Illinois, and British Columbia
‘southward to northern South America. Artistically con-
sidered his costume in both color and pattern is without
reproach; head feathers strongly crested, black bill about
two inches long, rather straight, powerful, and sharp, tail
short and stumpy, wings long and pointed, general coloring
blue-gray with a clearly defined white collar not quite
meeting at the back, the wings and tail flecked with white,
a white spot in front of the eye, gray on the chest below
the collar, lower breast duller white, in the female this is
banded with brick red which extends backward and down-
ward at either side. Nest formed of bones and fish scales
ejected from the bird’s stomach, with other miscellaneous
material at the bottom of a remarkably long burrow four
to six feet deep in the bank: Egg, white, 1.34 inches long.

The Kingfisher makes a noise like a small watchman’s
rattle when disturbed:

Presto.
7 toneless rattle or cackle.
Ie
~/ Sola c 4
ea aveee
i eS crese.

at times this is accentuated with a shrill crescendo and it

often happens when the bird alights upon some conspicu-

ous, high perch. One may drift fairly near him in a canoe

if that is done with scrupulous care and a motionless
272

YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER.

paddle, but one is not allowed to come too near, and I
think a matter of fifteen feet is the limit, at that point
occurs a strident and cackling adieu!

Family Picide.

Yellow-bellied This is one of our most beautiful and
Sapencker interesting spring birds; it is one of the
Sphyrapicus ;

nai commonest woodpeckers of northern New
L.8.s5 inches York and New England, arriving from the
April 15th south about April 15th, the autumn migra-
tion occurring between September 20th and November Ist,
but winter records of the bird are common in the warmer
portions of the northeastern States. The breeding ground
extends throughout the boreal zone of eastern America
from the highlands of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minne-
sota northward to Quebec, Ungava, and Mackenzie. It
winters from southern New York and Illinois southward to
the Gulf coast and eastern Mexico. Its coloring is unique;
crown and throat deep scarlet-red margined with black, a
broad crescent-shaped band of black below the scarlet
on the upper breast, upper parts more or less barred with
black and yellowish white, a conspicuous, irregularly
broad, white wing-bar, wing feathers black barred with
white, tail feathers black except inner webs of middle pair,
base of the tail largely white, under parts strongly tinged
with yellow especially on the border of the black crescent.
The female has a white instead of scarlet throat. Nest
excavated in a dead tree about twenty-five feet from the
ground. Egg, china white.

The note of this Sapsucker is a high-pitched, clear call
which Mr. Brewster interprets as cleur given several
times in succession. I am placing that note on the staff
exactly where it belongs, although it has no musical merit
and is simply a quick-swinging tone from highest G to B
flat:

Twice 8va.

273

FAMILY Tyrannide.

The trunk of an old apple tree behind my summer cot-
tage is fairly riddled with holes which are the work of this
Sapsucker. As a rule he is ‘‘on the job” early in the New
Hampshire spring before I am on the ground, but I was
once early enough to catch him as we say, red-handed!
His voice was cracked and he greeted me with a few maud-
lin clacks expressive of sappy sentimentality—alas, when
birds and men drink too much! I wondered whether he
would be able to find his way home—if he had any. But
he flew off on balanced wings so it was presumable that
the fermented ‘‘stuff’’ had not completely befuddled his
head! Occasionally a Sapsucker will so gorge himself
with sap that one may pick him up in the hand.

Family Tyrannide.
Alder This is one of the northern Flycatchers
Flycatcher = belonging to the Canadian zone, a rather
Empidonax

trailli alnorum ‘are migrant, therefore, south of central
L. 5.75 inches New Hampshire excepting locally in moun-
May oth tain regions. The Alder Flycatcher is some-
what common in swampy tracts through and north of the
White, Franconia, and Adirondack Mountains, in the valley
of the Pemigewasset River as far south at least as Wood-
stock, and in the valley of the Connecticut as far as Hanover.
The upper parts of this species are tinged with an olive tone
not present in the Chebec or the Phoebe; the wing-bars
and edges of the wing pale brownish gray, under parts pale
gray tinged with yellowish cream on the belly, the wings
and tail sepia; lower mandible light flesh-colored. Nest,
usually in a low alder, or in a swamp rose bush about three
feet from the ground, or less, built of coarse grasses, plant
down, and fibres, lined with softer materials, pine needles,
ete. Egg cream white flecked with cinnamon brown rather
more plentifully about the larger end. This is a sub-
species of Traill’s Flycatcher (a western species), and its
breeding ground is from central Alaska, central Quebec.
and Newfoundland, south to Montana, southern Ontario,
northern New Jersey, southern New York (at Nyack),
northwestern Connecticut, eastern Massachusetts, central
New Hampshire, and Maine. It frequents moist clearings

274

STARLING.

on wooded hillsides, as well as alder thickets along rivers
and in swamps, but never the forests.

The Alder Flycatcher has no more of a song than the
Chebec, in other words, nothing beyond three syllables
generally described as ‘“‘ Wee-zee-up” or two syllables like
qui-deeé or, as Bradford Torrey has it “Quay-quéer.’’ The
tones are very high, without definite pitch, and decidedly
as unmusical as the Phoebe’s ‘“‘tuneless performance,”
however, it is possible to express both pitch and rhythm on
the musical staff, and here they are:

IME oe
NO

Vivace OV.62"6¢ 76. See oe
na VW MN AAAYV
Ly Pee TI
os
£1 } | Te:
ers rs ial pe
; 2 YD
Qui- deee Wee-zéé@-up ‘* Quay-queer

The quality of tone is something between the Phoebe’s
and that of the two-note call of a young Goldfinch, with
the accent on the final guéer. Certainly this is not espe-
cially musical.

Family Sturnide.

Starling The Starling is a European bird nearly
Sturnus vulgaris related to the Crow and Blackbirds, and is
L. 8.50 m ‘
Allthe year @Ssentially arboreal and gregarious. It was
successfully introduced into this country by
Mr. Eugene Schieffelin in 1890. Numbers which were
liberated in Central Park, New York, have spread all over
the country in the vicinity and as far east as Boston. It
is more or less common in the Connecticut valley as far
north as Springfield, up the Hudson valley as far as New-
burgh, through New Jersey from Englewood and So.
Orange to Princeton, and on Long Island and Staten Island.
The coloring of the bird is rather odd; black throughout
with magenta and green iridescence, the upper feathers
spotted, i.e. tipped with light buff; lower parts, wings, and
tail dark brownish gray, the bill yellow. In winter the
brown-gray and buffy coloring has increased and obscured
the iridescent black; plumage of the female similar but less
brilliant. Nest in hollow trees or sheltered corners of old

275

FAMILY Fringillide.

buildings, built mostly of grasses and twigs. Egg, blue-
white or pale greenish blue. In the old world this species
winters in southern Europe or crosses the Mediterranean
to northern Africa.

The Starling is scarcely a singer, his notes are an inde-
scribable jumble of mixed tones including a few sweet whis- -
tles. There is the twang of the jews’-harp, the squeak of
a rusty gate-hinge, the cluck of the hen, and the rattle of a
wire spring ‘in his tones—one can scarcely call them tunes!
But frequently he indulges in a few short and sweet whis-
tles. It would be useless to attempt any musical notations
of such a voice as distinct intervals are quite lacking. I
quote W. H. Hudson’s admirable description of the Star-
ling’s spring efforts. ‘‘His merit lies less in the quality of
the sounds he utters than in their endless variety. Ina
leisurely way he will sometimes ramble on for an hour,
whistling and warbling very agreeably, mingling his finer
notes with chatterings, cluckings, squealings, and sounds
as of snapping the fingers and of kissing, with many others
quite indescribable.” ‘The fact is, the Starling is a polyglot
—but not a mimic. What he has to say is all his own, and
the rest of us can not match a word of it with anything we
know. Being English, his song is a possible renderirig of
Thomson’s “‘Come gentle spring”; but to the American ear
his tongue is hopelessly twisted, which affliction may be
due in part to the violence of the American spring. Would
anyone venture to question that possibility?

Family Fringillide.
Evening The Evening Grosbeak is a boreal species

Grosbeak whose winter visitations in the northerly
Hesperiphona ‘all f'the Misusenans) Saal
sdibertine States (especially of the Mississippi ey)

L. 7.80 inches are irregular but inevitably recurrent along
Winter with plentifulseed crops. Mr. Eaton reports
large migrations in the years 1875, ’82,’86,’89, ’90, ’96, ’99,
1900, ’04, ’06,’10,’11. In the winter of 1919 Mr. Forbush
reported the bird unusually plentiful in every county of
the mainland in Massachusetts. The colors are quite
distinguished, and in a measure’ like the White-winged
Crossbill suggest the Canary. Forehead and a bar above

276

ROSBEAK

~;
x

EVENING (

PINE GROSBEAK.

the eye yellow, crown sepia or smoky black, tail and wings
the same, but the upper, shorter wing-feathers white, sides
of the head and the neck brown-olive, rump, belly, and
scapulars (i.e. feathers at top of wing over the white ones)
dull yellow. Nest not very well known, lodged fifteen feet
or more above the ground, usually in an evergreen tree,
and built of twigs, bark, rootlets, etc., lined with softer
material. Egg, pale blue-green flecked with brown ocher.
The range of this species is from western Alberta, southern
_ Saskatchewan and Manitoba to Missouri, Ohio, and Ken-
tucky, and irregularly to Pennsylvania, New York, and New
England. It breeds only in the extreme northwest.

' The Song of the Evening Grosbeak is heard only within
the limits of its breeding grounds; there is no musical
record of it, so far as I know. One call note has two or
three syllables, and is rather high-pitched, the other, an
occasional one, is a short pianissimo whistle, still high-
pitched and not unlike that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Twice 8va. . Thrice 8va...
( | fa) \

| V Tt 7 | Fee
a a

XY *. . dl
/ Chee.pe- teet “P Pip. pip. pip.

The bill is extremely large, which may account in a meas-
ure for the nature of the song which has been described as
an irregular warble in a full rich tone of voice, beginning
pianissimo and ending abruptly fortissimo. I have only
these records of the call notes taken in winter in northern
New Hampshire. The bird is remarkably fearless.

_ Pine Grosbeak The Pine Grosbeak is a handsome, rosy-
Pinicole feathered, boreal character, a common
vara winter visitant of northern and central New
L. 9.92 inches Hampshire, and more or less of all New York
Winter and New England. On February 1, 1919,
Mr. Forbush writes, ‘‘The Pine Grosbeaks which have been
abundant in northern New England since December have
worked southward until they have reached the southern-
most States of the region, and have even appeared on the
large islands along the coast. Their numbers in northern

277

FAMILY Fringillide.

New England and in northern and western Massachusetts
have been large and the movement has been widespread.”’

This Pine Grosbeak is neatly as large as the Robin, and
his coloring is far more beautiful; the crown, back of the
neck and breast strongly overlaid with rose madder or rose
lake, the under color light slate gray, under parts entirely
a lighter gray, wings and tail sepia, the wings with two
nearly white bars and whitish edgings on the longer feath-
ers, the back and rump marked with rose red and sepia;
some individuals are far more roseate than others. Nest,
in coniferous trees, a few feet from the ground, built of
twigs and rootlets, lined with softer materials. Egg, light
green-blue flecked with lavender and umber brown. The
range of this species is distinctly within the Hudsonian
zone and extends from Alaska through the coniferous for-
ests to northern Maine; southward from Canada it is only
a winter visitant. It feeds largely upon the berries of the
mountain ash (Pyrus sitchensis in particular), and the seeds
of sumac, wild apple, hawthorn, and the coniferous trees.

The Pine Grosbeak possesses, like his congener the Pur-
ple Finch, a prolonged, melodious warble; the song is not
unlike that of Rose-breasted Grosbeak without the burring
quality and with many clear whistled notes like those of
the Cardinal. I have no record of the song, but the high-
whistled call note, similar to that of the so-called Yellow-
leg of the seashore marshes, is distinctly musical:

Twice 8va.

Red Crossbill This Red, or American, Crossbill is a
Loxiacurvi- —_ boreal species which is not uncommonly a
vostra minor P -
L.6.25inches Permanent resident of the coniferous forests
December rst in the extreme northern parts of New Eng-
to April rsth land and New York. The points of the up-
per and lower mandibles are twisted one over the other, and
are consequently remarkably adapted for the extraction of
seed from the cones of the evergreens. This case of special
adaptation is an extreme.instance of utility versus «sthet-

278

—

RED CROSSBILL

RED CROSSBILL.

ics; no artist would select such a bill as a model of beauty
any more than he would use the peasant’s abused foot as
a model for his beautiful statue! The color of the bird,
however, is esthetic; it is one of those classic hues which
has been named Pompeian red—a dull-toned vermilion,
the color brightest on the head, breast, and rump, and
browner on the back, the wings and tail umber brown
lightly edged with dull red, the bill a light horn brown.
Nest of twigs, cedar bark, and rootlets, lined with finer
materials, horsehair, etc., lodged in coniferous trees perhaps
fifteen feet above the ground. Egg, a pale dull green
flecked with madder purple, or lavender. The movements
of the species are erratic, but the breeding grounds extend
as far south as the mountains of South Carolina.

The song of the Red Crossbill is somewhat similar to
that of the Goldfinch, or, in respect of the “reaching’’
tones, like that of the Indigo Bunting, but I have been
able to gather only meagre records during the late winter
and early spring, which are certainly not representative of
the complete song. The notes are not as full-toned as
those of the White-winged Crossbill, and many of them are
like the simple, pathetic chirps of a lost chicken combined
with lower toned staccato notes, thus:

Teneo Oks; deck. Se a

_
Yr

Gerald Thayer's description of the song as far as words
go, is excellent: ‘‘A series of somewhat Goldfinchlike trills
and whistles seldom of any duration and in any case far
less rich than those of the White-winged Crossbill. It is
more apt to keep up a low twittering while feeding than
_that species.”” The notes, it is well to observe, are in the
very highest octave of the piano. The bird is far from
uncommon during the fall, winter, and early spring in the
White Mountain region, but he does not “pipe up”’ as
often as one would wish. He is a frequent winter visitor
of Campton, N. H.

279

FAMILY Fringillide.

White-winged A beautiful bird reminding one, perhaps,
» arog of the partly yellow Canary, with two dis-

oxia leucoptera ,. . : 4
L. 6.10 inches. tinct white wing-bars and a very esthetic
November 1s peach-blow pink breast, but with the same
to May ist awkward twisted bill which distinguishes its
foregoing relative. Another winter visitant erratic in time
and season and less common than the other bird. Bradford
Torrey mentions meeting him in the autumn (just previous
to 1902) in Franconia, New Hampshire: “The common
red ones were always here . . . and on more than one visit
I had found the rarer and lovelier White-winged species.
. . » IT went into the woods along the path, and there,
presently, I discovered a mixed flock of Crossbills—red
ones and White-wings,—feeding so quietly that till now I
had not suspected their presence.””’ My own acquaintance
with the White-wing was later, in 1906, ’08 in Cambridge
and northern New Jersey; in both instances I obtained
only fragmentary notations of chirps and twitterings which
could be no index of the possibilities of the full song. The
visitations of these birds in New York State were in 1848,
64, ’74, ’78, ’82, ’88, ’90, ’93, 796, 797, "99 and 1906. The
colors of the White-wing are, dull rose-red or pink, brighter
on the head and rump, more or less barred with sepia black
on the back, wings and tail sepia black, the former with
two conspicuous white bars, the under parts nearly white.
Nest of twigs, strips of bark, and mosses lined with softer
materials and hair, usually built in the forking branch of a
conifer, well up from the ground. Egg, pale greenish blue
spotted near the larger end with umber brown and laven-
der. The range of the species is similar to that of the Red
Crossbill, it breeds more sparingly in the White and Adiron-
dack Mountains than the latter.

The nuptial song of the White-winged Crossbill is
reported as far sweeter and more melodious than that of
its more familiar relative,—a low, soft warble similar to the
song of the Redpoll, a series of clearly whistled notes like
those in the song of a strong-voiced Canary. My records
which follow are scarcely that kind of singing, but they
are the characteristic call notes which I caught in the
Harvard Botanic Garden, Cambridge, and in the open
country of northern New Jersey.

280

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL

REDPOLL

—
Twice EVA. si. we oes We peg ere
net Se te ah ad oe 2 _
Y | af i |
, ) } i= } ~Y
ant 2 Ay sl a te a

IN
J Weet, weet, weet-weetweet, / Cheep, cheep, cheep.

Redpolt = The fearless and friendly Redpoll is a
Slayer little crimson-tinged winter bird often
ea acth associated in groups with the Goldfinch
to April 7th during the winter months. Some individ-
uals are apparently without the red, others are but slightly
- tinged with it, and still others possess quite a bright color.
It is a distinctly boreal species, an irregular winter visitant
of New York and New England, and has been abundant in
1876, ’78, ’82, ’86, ’89, ’99, 1906, ’08, 710, ’14, ’17 and ’19.
After the first week in April the bird is very seldom if ever
seen. Inthe valley of the Pemigewasset River in the White
Mountains, it is far from uncommon. The general color-
ing is that of a sparrow; streaky, ocherous brown above,
crown often a bright light crimson, forehead and upper
throat dusky sepia, the lower throat, breast, and rump
dull pale crimson pink, under parts dull gray white, and
the wings with whitish bars and edges, the bill is small,
sharp, and rather straight with no perceptible arch. Fe-
male with little or no pink on the breast and rump. Nest,
of dried grass and moss lined with the down of plants; it is
located in low bushes or tussocks of grass. Egg, bluish or
greenish white sprinkled with burnt sienna brown. The
species breeds from Alaska to northern Ungava and south-
ward to Alberta and the islands of the Gulf of the St.
Lawrence; in winter it migrates irregularly as far south as
Illinois and Virginia.

To hear the song of the Redpoll one must journey to the
far North; rarely the little bird pipes up before he leaves
our northern States in early spring, when he does one will
hear an ebullient, rippling series of notes, elosely resem-
bling the rapid chirps of the Canary (never the trills), rather
thin and wiry in tone with the metallic, ringing quality of
cut-glass. Here is a meagre record but it is the only one I
have been able to secure.

281

FAMILY Fringillide.

Vivace Thrice 8va a-. 1919, se ’ . 7 . ,. . a
va% — iil
. iN a aan < Y an
sé. 2.
| <f ia =
ms ES Goa! ee ES i | ea

av mf
When the Redpoll appears as it frequently does in small
flocks during the winter months and the flock takes wing
upon the arrival of some intruder, there is a whirr of feath-
ers and a chorus of chirps or twitters closely resembling
those of the Chimney Swallow but much more musical in
tone—a series of reiterated notes.

Pine Siskin The Pine Siskin or Pine Finch is a boreal
“he ieee species which is a winter visitant of the New
October 1sth England States, New York, New Jersey, and
to May 20th _indeed, erratically, of all the United States.
The years of its most remarkable migrations
were 1882,’86,’91,’98, 1901,’09, and ’19. Like the American
Crossbill its visits are very irregular. A similar-appearing
bird to the Goldfinch in his duller winter costume, but
rather plumper and shorter. The upper parts gray brown
sharply streaked with umber brown, the bases of the tail
and wing feathers light yellow, except the middle tail
feathers which are all brown, the under parts dull white
tinged with buff and streaked with sepia, the.wing bars dull
white. Nest of twigs and mosses lined with plant down,
fur, and hair,Jlodged in a hemlock, spruce, or other conifer,
about twenty to thirty feet above the ground. The range
of this species is from southern Alaska to southern Ungava
south to Nova Scotia and through the mountains to North
Carolina, to Northern Michigan, and again through the
mountains to southern California and New Mexico; it
nests in abundant numbers in the coniferous forests of
northern New England and New York, and casually in the
hill country of Massachusetts, and the southern Hudson
Valley. It is frequently seen in the company of Crossbills
and Redpolls, feeding on the seeds of hemlocks, pines, and
spruces.
The call note of the Pine Siskin is identical with that of
the Goldfinch (which is also like that of the Canary), a

282

IPSWICH SPARROW.

sweep of a major seventh, as below. There is also a mixed-
toned note in pairs like this, and the full song is a medley
of these notes very similar to that of the Goldfinch but
lacking its irrepressible jollity and “cut glass” clarity of
tone—in fact, the song is decidedly wheezy!

oN
Vivace 3times 8va... ey go ieee aa
a ee
i! | A) PEE <n A Wad
el — tt 7
i
fe aaller te
Goldfinehs eall.

This bird is a common resident of the White Mountain
region, where one is perfectly sure to find him not only in

the winter but frequently in spring and sometimes in
summer.

Ipswich A winter visitant of the Atlantic coast
Sparrow from Sable Island, Nova Scotia, south to
Passerculus

oriateni Georgia, the Ipswich Sparrow is not an
L. 6.50 inches uncommon denizen of the barren beaches
October to and sand dunes which lie between these
Apert points. It is the lightest-colored member
of the Sparrow tribe; upper parts pale brown and
ashen gray streaked with sepia and cinnamon brown,
a white line above the eye and a yellow spot in front
of it, or the latter quite absent, yellow also at the bend
of the wing as in the Grasshopper Sparrow, the breast
and sides narrowly streaked with sepia and pale ochre,
the general marking similar to that of the Savannah
Sparrow. Nest of dried grasses and moss lined with softer
material, generally hidden beside a sheltering tussock of
grass, directly upon the ground. Egg, bluish white thickly
flecked with cinnamon brown, four-fifths of an inch long.

To hear the song of the Ipswich Sparrow one must
journey to Sable Island, its breeding place and summer
home; one will hear only a few high-toned, tsipping notes
of this winter visitor among the bleak sand dunes from late
Autumn to early Spring. The earliest records on the
southern shores of Long Island are October 12th to 26th
and the latest are March 7th to April 3d. A patient

283

FAMILY Fringillide.

observer will find it easy to flush the bird, and by persist-
ingly following its erratic and darting, low flight, may
follow it from point to point among the tussocks of beach
grass; each time it rises it utters a sharp ¢sip in D or E
beyond the highest C of the piano keyboard, thus:

| Thrices va.

a.
:

Al" 4

which is exactly one of the chipping notes of the Chipping
Sparrow. Commonly the bird is found in broad reaches
of beach grass in limited numbers, but occasionally it is
associated with the Shore Lark and Snowflake during the
winter months’ feeding at the margin of the water. In
spring, one may be fortunate enough to hear the reiterated
note which is a component part of the song, as is also high
C, D or E. The complete song I have not heard, but
from studied descriptions with which I have been kindly
furnished, there is very small question about the following
extemporized form being substantially correct:

N?7 : > Thrice Bvh se iix'. N22

Q Ite |

i [a eS a | ;
mp ——¢ — mp ——* >
Tsip, tsip,ts-e-e-e.e prrrr eah ;

The whole song is not more than three seconds in duration,
and the syllabic rendering is written, ‘‘ T'sip, tsip, ts-e-e-e-e
pr-r-r-r e-ah,’’* which certainly is reminiscent of the Song
Sparrow’s melodic form. Bradford Torrey writes in The
Footpath Way, “‘I have now seen the Ipswich Sparrow in
every one of our seven colder months,—from October to
April.”” My own last observation was secured in Novem-
ber, 1918, on the sand dunes of Ipswich, Mass.

*Vide The Ipswich Sparrow. Dr. Jonathan Dwight.
284

SAVANNAH SPARROW.

Savannah This Sparrow is one of the early birds of
Sparrew spring in New York and New England, its
Passerculus 4 Z :
sandwichensis earliest appearance in New York being
savanna March 23d, and in New Hampshire
L. 5.75 inches (Hanover) April 9th. In the autumn it
March 25th =i; abundant from the first to the middle
of October, the southern migration ending between
the 25th of October and the 15th of November. A
few of the birds remain all winter in the vicinity
of Washington, D.C. Very closely related to the Grass-
hopper Sparrow, its song and colors are in many respects
similar; upper parts streaked with sepia, brownish red
and ashen gray somewhat deeper than the coloring of the
Vesper Sparrow, a yellow stripe over the eye, a streak of
gray white in the centre of the crown, under parts dull
white tinged with buff and streaked with sepia on the
breast and sides, the spot in the centre of the breast definite
but not conspicuous, legs and feet pinkish, tail rather
short. The range of this species is from central Keewatin
and northern Ungava to northern Iowa, Pennsylvania
and Connecticut; it winters from New Jersey and Indiana
south to eastern Mexico and Cuba. Its common haunts
are open grassy fields, wet meadows, and the edges of salt
marshes on the coast of New England, Long Island Sound,
and New Jersey. Nest, on the ground snuggled beneath a
clump of sedges or tall grass, composed of grasses ,moss,
and a few hairs. Egg, blue-white heavily flecked with
burnt sienna brown, cinnamon brown, and dull purple
madder.

The song of the Savannah Sparrow is an extremely high-
pitched, stridulent, rippling trill or reiterated note, nearly
but not quite a monotone. It is similar to the song of the
Grasshopper Sparrow although that is a monotone; it
begins with two or three chips, sharply staccato, which
introduce a high trill first on one tone and finally on another
perhaps a semi-tone lower, there is this distinct division of
the reiterated note from one tone to the other however slight
the musical interval may be. That is not the case with the
Grasshopper Sparrow, and it should not require a very
sharp ear to detect this fundamental difference. Here
is my studied transcription of the music. It is important

285

FAMILY Fringillide.

to note that it is at the very limit of the piano keyboard—
and beyond.

Prosio: Trricé Ba... os c.c 0 0s 0 0 wc 0 os be
accelerando non troppo

—
1: ee ie: eS ee Ee a |

LR ~ UG | js AES SK ee cs ee ee ee ES
Bee

The bird always sings from the ground and stretches his
neck to the uttermost limit in the effort to make his
pianissimo tones carry as far as they might from a tree top
which never seems to be at his disposal. Bradford Torrey
calls his song ‘‘microphonic.”’

Tree Sparrow The Tree Sparrow, sometimes called the :

ih aves Winter Chippy, is a common Winter visitant
L. 6.35 inches of the more northerly States. It makes its

Winter appearance in the early autumn and passes
northward again about the middle of April. Its range
extends from Great Bear Lake and northern Ungava to
Great Slave Lake, northern Quebec and Newfoundland.
It winters from southern Minnesota, Ontario, and Nova
Scotia to Arkansas and South Carolina.* The coloring
of the Tree Sparrow resembles that of the common Chip-
ping Sparrow; crown chestnut red, a ruddy stripe back of
the eye, a similar spot or area on either side of the breast
near the wing-shoulder, a broad gray stripe over the eye,
the sides of the head and the neck mostly mouse gray, back
striped with burnt sienna brown, sepia and buffish white,
two conspicuous dull white wing-bars, lower back and tail
umber brown, under parts gray-white, with a black sepia
blotch in the centre of the breast; upper mandible dark
horn brown, the lower yellow at the base. Nest and egg
similar to those of the Chipping Sparrow.

The notes of the Tree Sparrow (particularly a number of
the birds together) are like the jingling of sleigh bells.
The song begins with a series of swinging tones like those
of the Canary, quickens as it progresses, and ends in a loud
and jubilant trill, that is, a single reiterated, glassy-toned
note, not the true trill which is a rapid alternation of two

* Birds of New York. Elon Howard Eaton.
286

LINCOLN’S SPARROW.

contiguous tones. This sparrow is not an uncommon
resident of some of the White Mountain summits—those
not altogether bare of vegetation. I have met the little
fellow on Mts. Moosilauke, Lafayette, Washington, and
Osceola, and on the latter’s summit he was friendly enough
and hungry enough at the luncheon hour to take some
crumbs from my hand! His song bears a family likeness
to those of the Junco, Chippy, and Field Sparrow.

Lincoln’s This is a small boreal Sparrow, rather
Sparrow rare east of the Alleghanies; but it is not
Melospiza

lincolni unusual to meet him in the cool retreats
L.s5.65 inches of scattered spruces and tamaracks in the
May sthand mountain regions of the northeastern
November rst States in early spring or autumn. An
extremely shy bird, he is very difficult to observe
with any degree of satisfaction as he flees to cover
immediately upon the approach of an intruder, and it is
‘ only with careful and stealthy movements that one may
secure a vantage point for a good look at him. Simi-
lar in markings to the Song Sparrow, to which he is closely
related, his coloring is much lighter—or grayer, if one
obtains a front view—and the spots on the breast are fewer
and slighter, only in rare cases merging into the semblance
of a blotch like that on the Song Sparrow;* as a rule Mu-
seum specimens show no blotch; the upper parts olive or
grayish brown streaked with sepia, throat dull white, breast
with a broad band of ocherous buff, and a stripe of the
same color outlined with sepia is at either side of the
throat; a tinge of buff also stains the flanks.

Nest, built of dried grasses, fine roots, and moss, lined
with hairs and soft material, situated low in a shrub or
directly upon the ground. Egg, bluish white or china
white evenly flecked, or sometimes encircled at the larger
end with thick spots of burnt sienna brown.

The species breeds from the Yukon Valley, Alaska,

* Vide Bradford Torrey, in Footing it in Franconia, p.77. I agree
in the effect he mentions of a running together of the dark
streaks, but I am sure this is produced by the Gheptacenent of
surface feathers showing their dark bases,

287

FAMILY Fringillide.

through the southern Mackenzie Valley to Ungava, and
southward to the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains,
northern Minnesota, and the northern mountainous
regions of New York, New Hampshire, and Maine, to Nova
Scotia. In the fall migration it appears from the middle of
September to the end of October; rarely as late as Novem-
ber 27th, it winters from Mississippi to Guatemala.

The song of Lincoln’s sparrow is described as not unlike
that of the Purple Finch combined with the introductory
grating notes of the House Wren—this is correct only so
far as its tonal quality is concerned, but in its structure
there is merely the suggestion of a warble, with no deliber-
ate rallentando nor sempre dolce which characterize the song
of the Purple Finch. Judging from detached fragments of
the music and from a few autumnal notes the character of
the full song ought to be a free fantasia of tripping, musical
chirps and soft rippling tones of short duration. Here is
a record constructed from fragmentary memoranda in my

possession.
Vivace,
Thrice 8 v2 ¢, & = OY ane Sy Ss ane eo "a*@-€. 6.4 2 ae
oo = a
: yota
ak ‘era r : |
> I I i 3 J
mR {Reconstucted from various Autumn
call notes,

Fox Sparrow This is one of the few sparrows of large
inagpigrnairsaay size, unique color, and boreal preference
Winter and» Which makes recognition easy. The bird’s
March 2sth __ tailis a rusty or terra-cotta red well matched
by the burnt sienna color in the artist’s paint-box. The
upper parts in general are a less pronounced red-brown
streaked with gray, the feathers edged with cinnamon
brown, the sides of the head and neck brownish gray with
patches of red-brown, the wings margined with the same
color, the under parts whitish gray spotted and streaked
likewise, and also with markings of sepia; lower bill dull
bone-yellow. Nest, of coarse dried leaves and grasses
lined with moss, hair, and feathers, generally lodged in
stunted trees or low shrubs. Egg, very pale blue speckled

288

Fox SPARROW

FOX SPARROW.

with burnt umber brown. The range of this species extends
from Alaska to Labrador and the islands of the Gulf of the
St. Lawrence; it winters from Long Island, southern New
York, and New Jersey to the Gulf coast.

The song of the Fox Sparrow is one of the most appealing
in all the Finch family. Like that of the Field Sparrow
it is softly persuasive, but in addition possesses a fullness
and depth of tone unknown to the other bird. Not even
the Song Sparrow with his great variety of motives can
compare with his fox-colored relative in quality of voice.
The song is far from remarkable in melody, one is not
impressed by any similarity to an operatic aria, or any-
thing reminiscent of Chopin or Beethoven, but one must
listen long to the singing of birds to hear music as simple
and as spontaneously joyful as the unassuming perform-
ance of the Fox Sparrow. I think its appealing nature is
entirely due to vocal purity combined with a subtle Porta-
mento and Rallentando which always make the voice of
a great artist—great! That essentially spiritual quality
cannot be writien into music, it can only be sung, and the
manner noted, thus:

Thrice 8va
Contabile mroderato.

2° 42 6S Bie 2's S64.) «2, 6 y OOo Gete

x
>
-e
s-
as
et
¢r
eq
ef
allt
A
eo |

Pr 5
— — SS he Se. °
/ mf rallent. wee

The Italian words are not music, but they exactly express
the attractive method of the singer. It is plain this spar-
row does not trill, or warble, or dash off a dozen reiterated
notes in a careless rapture; on the contrary, he has plenty
of time and proceeds deliberately with his little group of
sweetly ringing, swinging tones as much as to say “This
is what I think of life, it is too beautiful to celebrate in
crazy rag-time!”

: ‘TE Sa es
nCantabile Thrice Sue 4 dim
y i>] _

rrr? xy 5 i |
. . “a AR e+ Le
mf rallentando,

FAMILY Fringillide.

Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell apparently has caught exactly the
spirit of the music, for he writes: ‘‘A bird’s song! An
emotional outburst rising full-toned and clear, passing all
too quickly to a closing cadence which seems to linger in
the silent air.”’” That ‘‘closing cadence” is precisely what
the rallentando represents. Then Mr. Bicknell continues,
unconsciously indicating the Cantabile, “‘it breaks forth
as if inspired from pure joy in the awakened season, though
with some vague undertone scarcely of sadness, rather of
some lower tone of joy.” No small bird possesses the
equal of the Fox Sparrow’s rich voice, and none other,
great or small, seems to take life more happily and con-
tentedly; yet that voice sings mostly to the dreary wilder-
ness in the far North, and its cheery possessor literally
grubs for his living with both feet at once. Watch him in
early March as he scratches among the dead leaves under
the shrubbery and it becomes evident that he can outdo
the old hen at her own game!

Cardinal The Cardinal ranges throughout the
wha nt 5 eastern United States from Iowa and south-

L.8.25 inches © New York to the Gulf coast. Mr. Elon
Permanent Howard Eaton considers this distinctively
resident South southern bird commonest in New York in the
extreme southeastern counties west of the Hudson River—
notably Rockland County. It is certainly rare or absent in
all other parts of the State. A beautiful singer, it is often
caught and reared in captivity and the song in such in-
stances is not materially different from that of the bird in
freedom.* The Cardinal’s colors are a bright scarlet lake
tone of red much colder than the scarlet Tanager’s intense
hue; the plumage of the upper parts is tinged with gray,
bill dull red, the region between it and the eye, and the
throat for quite a distance down, black; the pronounced
crest, wings, tail, and under parts a brighter red. Female
a much duller and browner toned red. Nest, built of twigs,

* Of course the close association of caged young birds means the
inevitable exercise of their imitative faculty, and inherited forms
of song are subject to great variation one way or another; but I
must emphatically state that the mechanical rhythm of a particu-
lar species is seldom if ever liable to interference by some other
species.

290

CARDINAL,

shreds of bark, and rootlets, lined with dried grasses and
soft material, generally situated in low bushes. Egg, blue-
white speckled with burnt umber or cinnamon brown.

The song of the Cardinal is composed of a series of loud,
clear notes many of them without overtones, some deliv-
ered sharply staccato, and still others with a sound like
quit-chee-ee, or, as Olive Thorne Miller describes it,‘‘ Three
cheers”’ but I make the song as I heard it from a caged
bird, like this, every one of the notes in fairly accurate
pitch, and the intervals as distinct—most of them—as
those of the White-throated Sparrow.

Twice 8va.....
p F Aww,

Sa. 25 Soe a ot lo, See ee lek ee ee
ae "

we,

Allegro.

.
&.
i

ra
if | i | SEE os

3 : py
There is a sweetness of tone to some of the notes resem-
bling that in the trained whistle of the European Bullfinch—
really a dulcet whistle, and also an overtone which is identi-
cal with that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, hence the
frequent use by different authors responsible for syllabic
forms of the consonants ch. The Cardinal’s song is no
doubt best studied west of the Alleghanies in Kentucky
and Tennessee where the bird is quitecommon. Bradford
Torrey, always clever in his verbal description of bird-
song, writes, ‘‘I stopped long enough to enjoy the music
of a master Cardinal,—a bewitching song, and, as I
thought, original: birdy, birdy, repeated about ten times
in the sweetest of whistles, and then a sudden descent in
the pitch, and the same syllables over again. ... If the
Tanager could whistle like the Cardinal, our New England
woods would have a bird to brag of.’’ Here, without
question, is a translation of those syllables into musical
terms—in other words two whistled notes separated by the
interval of a minor third:

Birdy, birdy, birdy, birdy, birdy, birdy,
291

FAMILY Bombycillide.

This was from a bird in captivity, the interval was correct,
quite as much so as that of a White-throated Sparrow who
sang for me about eight years later, August 2, 1919, the
same relative notes in a very high pitch; his key was five
sharps, the C' sharp of which is just beyond the piano key-
board. There is little question about the most charming
feature of the songs of our woodland and meadow singers,
it certainly lies in the perfected musical interval; we do
not stop to think just what the charm really is, but remove
that intangible interval and tedious monotony takes its
place.

Family Bombycillide.
Bohemian The Bohemian Waxwing belongs to the Arc-
eA tic regions, and in severe winter seasons Visits
pps 4 ; the extreme northern United States, flies as

L.8.s0 inches far south as Kansas, Illinois, and Pennsyl-
Winter vania, and is an irregular but not uncommon
visitor in the central part of New York and of the White
Mountain region of New Hampshire. It is a trifle larger
than its relative the Cedar Waxwing, and in general color-
ing is the same with a few exceptions; the forehead and
under tail-coverts (those at the tail roots)chestnut brown,
the abdomen gray instead of yellow, the primaries, or long
wing feathers tipped with yellow on the outer web, the
secondaries, or shorter middle feathers tipped with white;
both these colors are very conspicuous even at a distance.
Nest and egg similar to those of the Cedar Waxwing, and
so far as I have been able to determine the call notes are
practically the same, that is, D or E above highest C on the
piano keyboard.

PHILADELPHIA VIREO.

Family Vireonide.

Philadelphia This is. the smallest of our six Vireos.
tee a One not acquainted with the eccentricities
aided phica of ornithology would naturally infer that a
L. 4.80 inches Philadelphia Vireo is, or ought to be, a com-
May 18th mon bird in the vicinity of the ‘‘ city of broth-
erly love;’’but that is not the case, the bird, on the contrary,
is rare indeed about Philadelphia and is distinctly boreal.
It happened that the first known specimen was captured
by a Mr. Cassin near this city in 1842, and was described
by him nine years later; as for the breeding place, nest,
and life habits, they were not discovered until 1884,
apparently in Canada!* Hence it would seem logically
proper that this species should have been named the Can-
ada Vireo. But of course, a lost, strayed, or stolen polar
bear discovered in Philadelphia is liable, in the other prem-
ise, to be named Ursa philadelphica! Farther south than
northern New England and New York this Vireo is a
rare migrant. Its colors are quite different from those of
the other species; upper parts light olive green, under parts
distinctly washed with sulphur yellow, the breast yellow-
est, crown gray, a whitish bar over the eye, a narrow, dark
bar through it, cheek grayish, no wing-bars. Nest, pensile,
woven with fine grasses, shreds of birch bark, etc., sus-
pended at the fork of a branch about seven to ten feet from
the ground. Egg, white sparingly flecked with umber
brown especially about the largerend. This species breeds
from Manitoba, Ontario, and Labrador south to New
Brunswick, Maine, northern New Hampshire (possibly
northern New York), and northern Michigan. It is com-
mon on the woodland roads and clearings of the Umbagog
region of Maine, and on those about Dixville Notch, less
common on those of the Franconia Notch, and it is prob-
ably a rare resident on those which flank the Presidential
Range of the White Mountains, New Hampshire,—but
there is no record to prove this last.

The song of the Philadelphia Vireo has been likened to
that of the Red-eye, but the resemblance is entirely super-
ficial. The isolated groups of notes, unlike those of the

* Vide. The Auk, Vol. II., p. 305, article by E. E, T, Seton,
293

FAMILY Vireonide.

Red-eye have less syllables—if I may be allowed to call a
single tone a syllable—and there are no sweeping tones
like those of the Solitary. It is trie that there are some
notes exactly like the Red-eye’s, and others with an inflec-
tion of voice reminiscent of the Solitary’s, but there is
nothing more than that as far as resemblances go. The
actual character of the song is better expressed in musi-
cal terms, and it seems to me no other terms are adequate;
the rhythm i is widely interrupted, the tempo is moderato not
agitato, ‘at best the slurred notes show a comparatively
short sweep compared with those of the Solitary and none
of them show the staccato dots appearing in the song of the
Red-eye (see page 151).

B Time .6 va. 2m 00, wie Pa eee .
Allegro moderato sf sf
¥ — —. < y 22 —— LL.

ay a fs ‘a a 2 ae

ty ese | “1 of. | = Siam: | gawst

C71? i Try z i se iu
= lo

mya. (7 unique A un

note ( no e.

Then, the Philadelphia Vireo being the smallest of the
family, very naturally the song is higher pitched, or,
approximately a full major third above the average
voice of the Red-eye. That is one of the differences
between the songs of the Veery and Bicknell’s Thrush,
the voice of the latter being almost invariably higher than
that of the former. Mr. William Brewster writes of this
Vireo’s song, ‘‘ But these differences are of a very subtile
character and like most comparative ones they are not to
be depended upon unless the two species can be heard
together.’”"* Thedifferences to which Mr. Brewster alludes
are three; musical pitch, dynamics, and rhythm, all of
these qualities can be and are shown on the musical staff
and that settles the matter of “differences” whether
subtile or not. Look at my records of the various Vireos’
songs, there are no two of them alike. Certainly such
music requires attentive and critical study otherwise I do

* Vide, The Auk, Vol. '1., p. 5.
294

—— a i

PHILADELPHIA VIREO.

not see how we can arrive at any scientific truth. Mr.
Brewster’s word description of the song is, in general,
correct but in the last analysis it must be admitted it is
not scientific in respect of music. I am on the other hand
delighted with the charmingly truthful and withal naive
opinions of Mr. Torrey about this Vireo’ssong. He writes:
‘‘The measures are all brief, with fewer syllables, that is to
say, than the Red-eye commonly uses. Some of them are
exactly like the Red-eye’s, while others have the peculiar,
sweet upward inflection of the Solitary’s.... At the
same time, he has not the most highly characteristic of
the Solitary’s phrases”’ (to understand precisely what Mr.
Torrey alludes to read my little musical notation on page
161). ‘‘His voice is less sharp and his accent less emphatic
than the Red-eye’s, and so far as we heard, he observed
decidedly longer rests between the measures” (note my
dotted whole rest). ‘‘On the whole, the song of the
Philadelphia Vireo comes nearest to the Red-eye’s, differ-
ing from it mainly in tone and inflection rather than in
form. In these two respects it suggests the Solitary
Vireo, though it never reproduces the indescribably sweet
cadence, the real ‘dying fall,’ of that most delightful
songster”’ (see again, my notation on page 161). “On
going again to Franconia a year afterward, and naturally
keeping my ears open for Vireosylva philadelphica I dis-
covered that I was never for a moment in doubt when I
heard a Red-eye; but once, on listening to a distant Soli-
tary,—catching only part of the strain—I was for a little
quite uncertain whether he might not be the bird for which
I was looking. How this fact is to be explained I am
unable to say; . . . at all events I think it is worth record-
ing as affording a possible clue to some future observer.’’*
Years later it was my privilege to hear this Vireo sing in the
same region where Mr. Torrey heard it, and I have found
his analysis of the song absolutely correct. A keen listener
upon first hearing the Philadelphia Vireo sing will wonder
what is the matter with the Red-eye! Then, being quite
familiar with the Solitary’s song, he will listen in vain for
the unmistakable ‘‘ear marks” of the Solitary, and finally

* Vide, The Footpath Way, pp. I1-13,
295

FAMILY Mniotilitde.

the puzzle resolves itself into a realization that one has
actually “run up against” a new bird!* There is no
doubt about it, quite suddenly occurs this: and

Vivace.
Thrice 8va

| &
Ul

one cannot place it to the credit of any other Vireo than
the Philadelphian; Mr. Brewster describes it perfectly: “A
note which seems to be peculiarly its own, a very abrupt,
double-syllabled utterance with a rising inflection, which
comes in with the general song at irregular but not infre-
quent intervals.’’ All things considered this Vireo’s song
is not a difficult one to identify.

Family Mniotiltide

Worm-eating This is asouthern Warbler of very unusual
esrhrrtt occurrence farther north than the lower
darisledirise Hudson and Connecticut River Valleys. It
L.5.soinches is not uncommon at Ossining, New York,
May roth but is rarely discovered in the central and
western parts of the State. It is a familiar summer resi-
dent of Washington, D. C. The strongly black-striped
head makes identification easy: the upper parts are olive
green, the under parts creamy buff, head striped with
buff and black, two black bars through the eyes and two
on the crown, no wing-bars. Nest, built of leaves, grasses,
and moss, lined with softer material, situated on the
ground, usually hidden among ferns and small shrubbery,
in or near a swamp. Egg, white or creamy white flecked
with umber or cinnamon brown and lavender. The breed-
ing territory of this species is Illinois, western Pennsyl-
vania, southeastern New York, and southern Connecticut

*Vide, Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Vol. V., p. 3:
note Mr. Brewster's confusing experience.

296

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.

south to the mountains of South Carolina, Tennessee,
and Missouri.

The Worm-eating Warbler apparently prefers dense
thickets and swampy or wet situations; only here will his
song be heard. It is somewhat similar to that ofthe
Chipping Sparrow, a monotonously reiterated note, high-
pitched and weak in tone, with more of the insectlike
quality of the Grasshopper Sparrow’s voice;

Presto
Thrice 8va -nweenenee 7 - o > ad al 7 Y = by 9 3 a * 2

- eee €- 8.1.8 r
i or L

™"? —<———= ss nsectlike."”> =

in appearance my records are like the Chippy’s song, but
this Warbler’s notes are brief and the rendering is typically
staccato. The Chippy strings his notes together.

Blue-winged The Blue-winged or Blue-winged Yellow
Warbler = = Warbler is a southern species which does
Vermivora pinus 4 :
L.4.80 inches 0t occur (except very rarely indeed in cen-
May sth tral New York) north of the lower Hudson
Valley and southern Connecticut. The bird is distinctly
yellow with an olive back, gray wings, and a black bar
from the bill to a point back of the eye; the crown and
under parts bright yellow, wings and tail blue-gray, the
wings with two distinct white bars, the outer three tail
feathers with white patches on their inner webs. Nest on
the ground well-hidden beneath small shrubs or beside
bunches of weeds, built of dry bark and leaves, lined with
fine shreds of bark and other soft material. Egg, white
speckled with umber brown, cinnamon brown and laven-
der usually in a wreath at the larger end. The species
breeds from southeastern Minnesota to Connecticut south
‘to Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri.

The song of the Blue-winged Warbler is very similar to
that of the Golden-wing, in tonal effect, but the similarity

297

FAMILY Mnaiotiltide.

ends there as the latter never sings exclusively two notes
as this bird does. In syllabic form I make the song a
drawling 7's-s-s-gee-e-e-e. Compare this with the syllables
of the Golden-wing on page 167 and the tonal likeness is
apparent. There is little or no difference between Ps and
Ts descriptively applied to a bird’s song, but the real
differentiation shows itself in the Gee-e-e-e, or, it would
be as well written, zee-e-e-e, for that note has a buzzing
quality, and it is a single note not four notes. Here is a
record from Virginia:

N2/8

Largo. Thrice 8va.
ra anna

}
i

7 sostenuto
Ts-5-S-gee-€-0-e

Bradford Torrey renders it admirably in the following
words: ‘A song of the oddest and meanest—two syllables,
the first a mere nothing, and the second a husky drawl,
in a voice like the Blue Golden-wing’s.”” A mere nothing?
Yes, find it if you can somewhere in the woodwork to the
right of highest C on your piano! Mr. Lynes Jones de-
scribes another, fuller song of this Warbler by the follow-
ing syllables: Wee, chi-chi-chi-chi, chur, chee-chur, but
I have no knowledge of it.

Tennessee The little Tennessee Warbler, one of the
hosel, smaller birds of the group, is not very com-

aclaarine mon in any part of our northeastern States,
L. 4.75 inches yet it is fairly certain a bird student may
May 15th discover him in any of the townships
within the White Mountain region, especially the more
northerly ones. The general coloring of the bird is so
nearly like that of the Red-eyed Vireo that the first sight
of him might prove misleading except for the testimony of
the song. Upper parts distinctively olive-green, the head
and neck back of the eye bluish gray, a very pronounced

298

(ee

TENNESSEE WARBLER.

whitish line over the eye and a dusky bar through it, the
inner webs of the two outer tail feathers margined with
white, no wing bars, under parts dull white, the breast
often tinged with buffy yellow. Nest on or near the ground
usually in dense growths of spruce and fir, or occasionally
of mountain ash; it is built of bark fibre, grasses, and moss,
lined with hair and soft material. Egg, china white with
a wreath of spots about the larger end. The species breeds
from southern Mackensie and southern Ungava to Anti-
costi Island, and southward to northern Maine, New
Hampshire (probably northern New York), Ontario, and
Northern Minnesota.

The song of the little Tennessee is not likely to be con-
fused with that of any other Warbler, it has a marked
crescendo followed by an equally marked diminuendo:

I cannot say exactly that of the others’ songs, the Black-
poll’s excepted; they may be structurally similar to this
one which I admit begins like the Nashville’s with zig-
zagging notes and finishes with—according to the popular
idea—a trill; but there is no trill, the finishing notes are
reiterations dropping indefinitely two or three tones. Mr.
Farwell’s description in Chapman’s Warblers of North
America is fairly close to my notation if one bears in mind
that the Chippy also does not trill but reiterates! He
writes of the song that it is ‘very loud, beginning with a
sawing, two-noted trill, rather harsh and very staccato
but hesitating in character, increasing to a rapid trill
almost exactly like a Chipping Sparrow, a noticeable but
not musical song.” Like the Black-poll’s notes, the first
groups of two notes each are deliberately and sharply
staccato, while all are delivered crescendo et diminuendo.
In The foot-path Way, page 8, Bradford Torrey goes
to some length in a word description of the song, and calls
it ‘long, very sprightly, and peculiarly staccato.’”’ Then
he adds, ‘‘ As to pitch, the song is in three parts, but as to

299

FAMILY Maiotiltidz.

rhythm and character, it is in two.” He is quite right if
my notations adequately represent the song, and the
divisions may easily be recognized by the relative appear-
ance of the notes on the staff even by those who may say
they do not read music! The Tennessee is really not un-
common in the White Mountain region, Mr. Walter Deane
reports him as present in Shelburne, in 1918, 719, he has
shown himself nearly every June here and there in the
northern Pemigewasset Valley of late years, and long ago
Bradford Torrey reported him as an old acquaintance in
Franconia. But the fact is, one will easily find twenty
- Nashvilles to a single Tennessee if one starts off on a special
hunt for the latter.

Water-Thrush An interesting little Warbler with a strong
eee et preference for the swamp. Its breast is
L. 5.80 inches ™arked with streaky spots far less round
May roth than those of the Wood Thrush, and the
common name arises from a fancied similarity to that bird.
Upper parts deep olive-brown, a whitish line over the eye,
the under parts yellowish white of a sulphur tinge heavily
streaked with sepia-black, no wing-bars, tail an even olive-
brown. Nest, mostly of moss held together with tiny ten-
drils and rootlets, lodged in a mossy bank, or among the
roots of a fallen tree, or at the base of moss-covered logs.
Egg, white or buff-white with light-brown markings about
the larger end. This species from northern Ontario,
Ungava, and Newfoundland south to central Ontario, New
York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, and through
thé mountains to West Virginia. It is a common summer
resident of the White, Green, Adirondack, and Catskill
mountains, and the swamps in central and western New
York.

The song of the Water-thrush has been called a “wild,
ringing roundelay suggestive of the cool, bubbling streams
of its summer home.” That is an excellent simile, but
there is no particular reason why it should not apply as
well to the song of any one of the Wrens! The difference
between the song of this Warbler and that of the Wren
is a fundamental one, the Wren at once approaches a

300

HL fA ie ON NIUE

WATER-THRUSH

LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH.

musical climax (a high note) with a series of grating tones;
the Water-thrush does nothing of the kind, instead he
begins with a few clear, sweet whistles, and then drops
suddenly to a lower register, the tones fading away in a
delicate diminuendo, thus

Vivace Thrice 8va. Oe O59 a5, 67 0.7O 828 9. 6, 6

} => => h S SS

IF 7 _
(Usually 3 clear whistles) dim. delecato P

The song is loud and clear for so small a bird and though
he is a jubilant singer like the Wren, his method is different,
the first half of his short song is a series of sustained rapid
tones, the second half is a hurried finale. Like the Oven-
bird the Water-thrushes are walkers—not hoppers—and
have a curious habit of flipping the tail as they go.

Louisiana This is the Water-thrush of more southern
bshreraht distribution. It breeds from South Caro-
dieea chile lina and northeastern Texas north to south-
L. 6.20 inches ern Minnesota, southern Michigan, Ontario,
April roth New York, and southern New England. It
is a common summer resident in the valley of the Hudson
about New York City and Tarrytown, and locally as far
north as Catskill and the southern end of Lake George.
Mr. Eaton reports that it is found in all the ravines of the
central lakes of the State as well as on the banks of streams
emptying into Lake Erie. In coloring it very closely
resembles the other Water-thrush—the same olive brown,
the white stripe over the eye, the sepia-black streaks on
the breast and sides, but unlike the northern Water-thrush
throat and abdomen are unmarked, and the tinge of yellow
on the flanks is buffish, the bill is alsolarger. Nest, gen-
erally under the sheltering bank of a stream, or commonly
in a cavity at the base of a small tree. Egg, like that of
the northern Water-thrush, often beautifully wreathed
about the larger end, with cinnamon brown or burnt sienna
spots.

! 308

FAMILY Mniotiltidx.

The song of the Louisiana Water-thrush is extraordi-
narily wild and reverberant; it may be heard under favor-
able conditions at a distance of quite a third of a mile.
The general rhythm is like that of its northern relation’s
song with a few more notes added—at least that is my
impression so far as I can sum up their comparative length.

Here is my only record:

' Molto vivace. Thrice 8va. hes For yal ek SO ee ee ee

“4
a

Z +

F- sostenuto. oe —

—_—_—_

The first pair of notes, though high-pitched. are strikingly
clear and loud, and they are well sustained, the next six
notes are gradually diminished in force and character and
it is difficult to place them definitely on the musical staff.
Bradford Torrey counted ten notes in all, but the song
rendered in syllabic form by Mr. Brewster evidently rep-
resents five tones: Pseur, pseur, perseé, ser. I presume it
all depends upon one’s ear! Yet, understanding the char-
acter of this Warbler’s notes as I do, these four words
should and do represent seven tones, and I am quite sure
Mr. Torrey counted the notes aright when he recorded as
many as ten!

Kentucky A most charming Warbler this, and a
ea stout common one in the intermediate States

Setubons eastward from Tennessee to Maryland; he
L. 5.65 inches is rarer as far north as the lower Hudson
May roth Valley, and Connecticut. The colors are
beautiful and soft if not quite so brilliant as those of the
Yellow-breasted Chat. Upper parts lustrous olive green
including wings and tail, forehead and a broad bar running
from the bill and below the eye to the neck, black, a narrow
yellow bar above this extends over and spreads behind
the eye, the under parts bright yellow, no wing-bars; the
female slightly duller. Bradford Torrey writes, “he is

302

a se oe ee

KENTUCKY WARBLER

KENTUCKY WARBLER.

clothed in the best of taste, with nothing patchy, nothing
fantastic or even fanciful.’”’ The large nest is built of
twigs, rootlets, and dried leaves, lined with fine rootlets
and horsehairs; it is placed directly upon the ground or
in the shrubbery near to it. Egg, china or pearl white
finely and coarsely marked with umber or burnt sienna
brown. The species breeds from northeastern Nebraska,
southern Mississippi and southeastern New York south to
the Gulf States. It is very rare in central New York, but
not altogether so on Long Island.

The song of the Kentucky Warbler is distinctively musi-
cal though confined to a series of dissyllabic or else trisyl-
labic, high, clear whistles, far superior to the tuneless notes
of the Maryland Yellow-throat. Gerald Thayer writes of
it, ‘The song is remarkably loud and clear, strikingly simi-
lar to that of the Carolina Wren; a series of three clear
whistled notes repeated five to ten or more times, tee-wee-o,
tee-wee-o, tee-wee-o0, tee-wee-o,’’ etc. Like the Carolina
Wren, or the Red-eyed Vireo this Warbler is also a most
indefatigable singer, with a voice that carries a very con-
siderable distance. Bradford Torrey describes the song
thus: ‘‘Klur-wée, klur-wée, klur-wée, klur-wee, klur-wee, a
succession of clear, sonorous dissyllables, in a fuller voice
than most warblers possess, and with no flourish before or
after; like the bird’s dress, it was perfect in its simplicity.”
Here is the song as I make it on the musical staff, and if
one will exempt the grace notes from the implication of a
“flourish,” the notation is evidence of the same kind of
song as that which Mr. Torrey heard.

Vivace EO CRE giao t4 os 0.k. 6 owidie Skis is

ee we Nler-ues a ur-wee, ai ur-wee.

But the syllable klur to my mind rather indicates some-
thing in the nature of the grace note—in other words a
double sound which includes a tone with a tonal approach!
There is no avoiding the impression one gets of the grace
note, it is present,in this Warbler’s song, it is present in

393

FAMILY Mniotiltide.

the songs of the Wood Pewee and the Maryland Yellow-
throat; but I am not sure that every Kentucky Warbler
sings that way, some may leave it out, and if Mr. Chap-
man’s syllabic form is taken literally then his Tur-dle,
tur-dle, tur-dle, is evidence that it sometimes is left out.
That sort of variation is characteristic of the Warblers’
songs. The differentiations may be easy to define but are
difficult to encompass—they are so manifold. For example,
one cannot be sure whether the next Kentucky Warbler’s
dissyllables will ascend or descend the scale, but they are
musical enough for one to recognize the direction instantly,
and at times the intervals are considerable; but in the case
of the Maryland Yellow-throat some of the songs are so
absolutely devoid of definite pitch that there is no cer-
tainty of anything beyond rhythm. Not so the Kentucky
Warbler, and Bradford Torrey expresses quite my own
admiration of him in these almost unmeasured terms:
“When all is said, the Kentucky, with its beauty and its
song, is the star of the family, as far as eastern Tennessee
is concerned.” Or, I would like to add, any other State
in the Union, for not one of his congeners is able to give
us such satisfying musical intervals—and that is precisely
where the beauty of his song lies. This bird has one habit
in common with the Ovenbird, instead of hopping he
walks. He has a decided preference for damp woodlands
where there is a dense growth of underbrush, or of over-
grown clearings; there his voice will be heard with all the
clear, ringing quality of the Carolina Wren’s singing.

Connecticut This Warbler bears a very misleading
Saaeiees agilis DOME it breeds in northwestern Canada and
L. 5.50 inches Winters in South America. It migrates
September to northward mostly through the Mississippi
October sth Valley and in the fall passes commonly
southward east of the- Alleghanies and _ rarely
westward of them. During the middle and the third
week of September, Mr. Eaton reports that it is by no
means rare in the southern migration across New York ~
State. Mr. Horace W. Wright in his Birds of Jefferson, —
N. H., reports seventeen birds observed in that region ~

304

MOURNING WARBLER.

between September 6th, and October 4th, in the years
1903, ’04, 08, 709, and 710. My own records show but
one bird in late September, observed at Echo Lake, Fran-
conia Notch. This Warbler’s colors are pronounced; up-
per parts olive brown merging into pale slaty gray on the
sides, head, and chest, a distinctly white eye ring, lower
parts yellow sharply separated from the gray of the chest,
no wing-bars. Nest, on the ground, built of dried
grasses and vegetable fibre. Egg, white sparingly marked
with lavender and sepia black, spots at the larger end.
The species breeds from Manitoba south to Minnesota and
northern Michigan; it winters in South America.

The song of the Connecticut Warbler is not likely to
be heard beyond the breeding grounds northwest of the
Great Lakes, and of course one cannot judge of the char-
acter of the song from the metallic chink of the call note
in the fall. But the syllabic form as described by Mr.
Seton is sufficiently graphic to give one the impression
that it must bear an unmistakable resemblance to the
dissyllabiec calls of the Ovenbird. He described it as
sounding like Beecher, beecher, beecher, beecher, etc., and
at other times like fru-chapel, fru-chapel, fru-chapel,
whoit,—this, in its summer home among the larch swamps
of Manitoba.

Mourning Mourning is scarcely a justly chosen ad-
vase jective and consequently not a fair name for
philadelphia 80 lively and attractive a bird as this, the
L. 5.63 inches hood he wears is not black and the song he
May roth sings is not sad! The coloring certainly is
not mournful, the head and neck is covered, hoodlike,
with a soft light slate-blue, which is blackish at the throat,
the back, wings, and tail are brownish olive, under parts
deep yellow sharply defined with the black below the
throat, no wing-bars. Nest, built on or near the ground,
of shreds of bark, weeds, and grass, lined with finer grasses,
black inner bark, or black rootlets. Egg, ivory or cream
white flecked with burnt sienna brown and lavender,
the markings heavy on the largerend. This species breeds
from central Alberta southeastwardly to the Magdalen

395

FAMILY Mniotiltide.

Islands and Nova Scotia south to central Minnesota,
Michigan, central Ontario, New York, and Pennsylvania,
in the higher hills of Massachusetts, and also in the moun-
tains to West Virginia; it winters from Nicaragua to Ee-
uador. It scarcely arrives in Massachusetts in its journey
northward before the last day of May, but in New York
it is due about the tenth of that month.

The song of the Mourning Warbler is, like that of the
Black-throated Green, brief but musically attractive. It
is another example of a high-pitched lisping whistle which
is difficult for me to reconcile with the syllabic forms of
different authors, especially as these forms themselves are
distinctly different, at least in rhythm. The song as I
know it is a full, rolling, and not perfectly clear-toned
whistle, ending with sharply staccato tones little if any
below the opening tones, and they are so high in pitch,
that to match them I have to resort to the lisping whistle
produced behind one’s front teeth. It must ever be borne
in mind that these Warblers’ songs belong at the extreme
upper limit of the piano keyboard, hence the great diffi-
culty of an unmusical ear to appreciate the musical inter-
vals which are involved in the songs. Here are two records
belonging to the Mourning Warbler both of which extend
a bit beyond uppermost C.

Vivace Thrice 8yva, 6.0 6 6 918. 9 @ OLS e808 618 : eoeeos ee
Jit Eno alts Ms os SB
pe o> La fd

PS Se! Sars aR a
| an in _al

a
S Ruit, ruitruit, wit-itit, Whit, whit whit witewit

Three of the following authors quoted agree on the drop
of the voice at the close of the song, and that scores an
important fact. It is rather significant, however, that
one of the two records above shows a drop of only a semi-
tone below the initial note of the song. Merriam writes,
‘Its common song consists of a simple, clear, warbling
whistle resembling the syllables trué, trué, trué, tru, too, the
voice rising on the first three syllables (meaning words not
syllables) and falling on the last two.”’ Ralph Hoffman

306

MOCKINGBIRD

MOCKINGBIRD.

writes, ‘‘The song may be written thuree, thuree, thuree,
generally followed by two or three lower notes. Whether
the accent is on the first or second syllable is hard to tell,
but a throaty quality, and the presence of the letter r,
characterize the song.’”’ Bradford Torrey, inimitable in
word description of bird-song writes, ‘‘The song as I heard
it was like this: whit, whit, whit, wit, wit. The first three
notes were deliberate and loud, on one key, and without
accent; the last two were pitched a little lower, and were
shorter, with the accent on the first of the pair; they were
thinner in tone than the opening triplet, as is meant to
be indicated by the difference in spelling.’ This last
description seems to fit my records almost exactly, con-
sidering the number of notes in a bird’s song is generally
variable. The song does not occupy more than one and
a half seconds of time, and it has been called a loud but
commonplace ditty. However that may be, the one satis-
factory thing about it is its easily recognized rhythm with
a cheeriness about it that absolutely negatives the name
Mourning!

Family Mimide

Mockingbird The Mockingbird is an irregular visitant
tedauns in the northerly States and rather a rare
L. 10.50 inches Permanent resident of Washington, D. C.
Permanent It inhabits the southern United States from
resident, SouthForida to Texas, and its range extends
northward to eastern Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, and Mary-
land. Occasionally it visits Wisconsin, Ontario, Michigan,
New York, and Massachusetts. On numerous occasions
it has been reported from southeastern New York, and
there is good reason to believe it has bred near Rockaway,
L. I. Other records in this part of the State are, River-
dale, Brooklyn, Gravesend, Fort Hamilton, Flatbush, Mil-
lers Place, Shelter Island, and Floral Park, and in the
westerly region, Dunkirk, Buffalo, Lockport, and Roches-
ter. There are several records of its breeding in New
England, notably Springfield.* The general color of the

* A Guide to the Birds, Ralph Hoffman, p. 96.
397

FAMILY Mimide.

Mockingbird is brownish gray; upper parts ashen gray,
lower parts dull white or gray-white, the throat a little
clearer, wings mostly dull sepia black with a distinct
white bar, i.e. the basal portion of the primaries which,
in flight, show a broad white patch; outer tail feathers
mostly white, the extreme feather entirely so, upper sur-
face of the tail sepia-black. Nest of coarse twigs, roots,
grasses, and bits of cotton, lodged in thickets and orange
trees. Egg, pale green-blue heavily flecked with brown.

The notes of the Mockingbird are very similar to those
of the Brown Thrasher but are subject to greater variation,
and in large part are imitations of the notes of other birds.
The song of the bird in captivity is not essentially different
from that in its wild state. In the far South the singing
begins in February and continues unremittingly through
all the spring, quantity rather than quality characterizing
the exuberant music which swings absolutely clear of
confining scales. In a word, it is untrammeled and wild
when it is not in distinct imitation of another singer. The
song is occasionally heard in the vicinity of New York
and Boston. Mr. Henry W. Porter writes to me, “In
April, 1912, a pair of Mockingbirds was observed in Quincy,
Mass.;.they stayed through the following summer and
into the winter. The next spring they came again, but
disappeared and have not been seen since. They fre-
quented a thicket—perhaps two hundred yards from the
nearest house—somewhat swampy, with a little brook
running through, and a pine grove nearby. The nest was
never found; but the birds used to come up near the houses
and sing.”

American Our Robin is unrelated to the English Robin
Gots Redbreast (Erythaca rubecula), and is a bird
stigrateria of distinctly different character and habits.
L.10.00inches Nor is he very similar in coloring. Head
March toth, or sepia-black ; upper parts slate gray; tail
allthe year = sepia-black, the outer feathers with a
white spot at the tip; eyelids and a spot above the eye
white; throat white flecked with black; under parts
ruddy burnt sienna ; extreme under parts white. Female
similarly but lighter colored ; the head slate gray. Nest

308

—— |

AMERICAN ROBIN.

from six to twenty feet above the ground, in a tree near
the house, sometimes under some sheltering projection
of the house itself; it is coarsely constructed of grass,
leaves, rootlets, and plant fibres woven into a mud wall
or foundation, and lined with finer grasses. Egg a sub-
dued green-blue without spots or rarely with fine brown
ones. This bird is commonly distributed through east-
ern North America as far west as the Rocky Mountains ;
it is also found in eastern Mexico and Alaska ; it breeds
from Virginia and Kansas to the northern coast of Brit-
ish America, and winters from southern Canada (irregu-
larly) southward. The birds begin breeding from the
last of March to the middle of May, and sometimes two,
or even three broods are raised. The Robin is essentially
a ground bird, and spends a great deal of his time search-
ing the meadow and lawn for worms and grubs.

The Robin’s song is such a perfectly familiar one that
it scarcely seems necessary to furnish any records for
other than the interest which attaches to the melody.
Like all birds this one greatly varies not only in song
but in quality of voice ; but every individual singer ad-
heres closely to the mechanical rhythm common to the
species. The notes are generally delivered in groups of
three ; sometimes a sprinkling of two-note groups oc-
curs, but this forms no considerable part of the song.
Expressed by dots the song should appear thus: ...
The form is that of a disconnected warble in rather a
narrow compass of voice, and with very slight varia-
tion. Some birds sing with an excellent pitch, others
ranible along with no particular regard for key or
melody. Indeed, it would require pages of explanations
and notations to fully demonstrate the truth of such
a statement; but it Would be questionable whether such
an analysis of individual variation possessed any value
relatively with the study of bird music. It is sufficient
to say that after an extended acquaintance with the
songs of a number of Robins one finds that they are all
distinctly different, and that one specimen in about ten
is, musically speaking, worth all the others put together !
The following is an excellent example of good melody

309

FAMILY Turdide.

for a Robin; notice that the fellow has made his own
response to his own motive, a thing which not every bird
can do by any means:

arth a6
nua eer a es

a i"
Sl @ “4 “sy \ a
ya z u a ® at —s

<
“Lightly and trippingly.

The key was a perfectly obvious one and the song
though sung in the usual wild, disconnected way of the
Robin was excellent in its intervals and its note values.
I have no record of a better song than that although
others equal it. How characteristic it is of the Robin to
sing in a nervous, hurried way, without ever a thought
of the value of a sustained tone such as that which the
Hermit Thrush gives us, and then when something or
somebody disturbs him, to resent the interruption With
an emphatic remonstrance in the diatonic scale or some-

thing akin to it, thus *:

How natural it is, too, for another fellow to enter the
breach and without altering the key, revise the arrange
ment of the theme, extend it, and proceed on inde-
pendent lines in more insistant tones very nearly as
follows:

* I wish this did not remind one so much of the opening notes of
that popular piece, which is doomed to an ephemeral existenc<,
called Hiawatha.

310

AMERICAN ROBIN.

Ww
Te ¢

%gdd. 32,935 fds

a « > BJ a
wm 4 Mt Be od 5k
“Vn i i yell

L
"Relatively these bars were sung a libitum, but the
prevailing tendency mas toward this arrangement.

41 (bbs J os
“4 >:
T CS hd + —-

i | ye il i
a 1° id
a G
> v;
— S\
‘ | \ a
4 ia: ee
T 1] 7? in t
5 a A lo
T +7
4? = vy

And if you listen to the first fellow, how out of patience
he seems to be with the turn matters have taken! This
is the way he seems to scold in an indignant fortissimo
Pit. * Twice 8¥a.

pn. .%. . -Riterd.

.
ote rm re

7 ‘Tat, tut, tut, tut, tut, Cul, tut, tut!
After that we are perhaps favored with a duet; but the
singers stick to their own ideas and melodies regardless
of each other, and the music becomes an unintelligible
jumble. There is certainly a bit of rivalry going on, for
Robin number one is getting excited and is hitting wildly
at his notes in allegro agitato time in good earnest!
It is a race now, no doubt, and one can not help think-
ing it is ‘‘every man for himself and the devil take the

311

PAMILY Turdide.

hindermost” until another interruption occurs and one of
the birds fairly yells to the other in high staccato tonee—

Face Sua.

i ) Hee SBE |

Wart! wast! wait! wait! wait! wail

fymaill

Taking the Robin according to his average conduct
he is a noisy fellow!

But there is a host of good cheer

in his music which the discriminating writer in A
Masque of Poets early discovered :

2
WZ Co ~

‘*In the sunshine and the rain
I hear the robin in the lane
Singing ‘ Cheerily,
Cheer up, cheer up ;
Cheerily, Cheerily, Cheer up.”
These words fit the following music fairly well :

A Ee

Cheerlup!

Bite es tl I cs
putt ly, ;

es cheerl up!

naar

Sere

Ln “9 as ae |
Be ==
a = fa
eae a cama 3 cae

Boo

Bluebird Robin

(above) (below)

BLUEBIRD.

I have not altered the song in the slightest way in mak-
ing this adaptation; the fit was a mere “happen so.”
But the vocabulary of the Robin is extensive; he might
or he might not have sung the above lines to his mate,
what J heard him sing was what I had learned from a
book! How impossible it is to be a disinterested inter-
preter of bird music!

Bluebird This is one of the earliest birds to arrive
Sialia sialis _ in the spring; it is a question which we
L. 7.00 inches fe ‘
March roth 2re likely to meet first, the Bluebird or the
Robin, but not infrequently a flash of the
cerulean color tells us the Bluebird has won in the race
northward. His personal appearance is tasteful if not
westhetic. Upper parts including wings and tail ultra-
marine blue; there is a rusty tinge to the feather-tips in
the fall; under parts a light burnt sienna or chestnut
tone; feathers beneath the tail white. Female much
paler in color; the upper parts gray-blue. Nest gener-
ally in the hollow of some old orchard tree, or often in
the convenient ‘‘bird house”; it is lined with fine
grasses. Egg a blue-white. This bird is common in the
eastern United States as far west as the eastern slopes of
the Rocky Mountains; its northern range-limit is Mani-
toba and Nova Scotia; it breeds throughout its range,
and winters from southern New York to the Gulf States.
Before the snow has melted, and while the air is still
piercing chill and the cold gray clouds chase each other
across a forbidding sky, the key-note of the spring sym-
phony is struck by a little Bluebird who is perched
somewhere among the bare, brown branches of the old
maple beside the road, or the apple-tree in the orchard.
The tones are unmistakable, quavering, tentative, un-
certain, a bit tender and sentimental, and far more ap-
pealing than the robust ones of the Robin; here they are:

: = 8va..

=< =

Purlly.
313

PAMILY Turdida.

You may call that the Bluebird’s note if you choose but
there is a certain unsteady, bouncing character to it
which can only be properly expressed by the grace note
and the succeeding three notes; or, by this suggestive
musical sign:

Twice Srv.

+
¢ ' ’ fx

It is precisely the Bluebird’s method to handle all his
notes that way; the little singer does not seem to know
how to rest steadily on any one tone! There is a plead-
ing quality to his voice—a plaintive tenderness which is
entirely due to the unsteady character of his notes. No
Robin sings this way, however similar the notations of
the two birds appear to the eye; for, if one expressed
the Bluebird’s music by dots it would look exactly like
that of the Robin, and as a matter of course musical
notation is little more than the scientific placing of such
dots. It is therefore very necessary for the reader to
pay strict heed to the Italian directions for expression;
these will show the fundamental difference between the
songs of the two birds. There is so little variety in the
music of the Bluebird that the following record suffices
to represent its fixed character; the scope of the voice
is limited to a fifth, but as a rule the bird sticks pretty
close to a minor third, and to the minor key:

Aflegretto. Delicato: sempre legato et tremolo.
——_-,,

Even when a number of Bluebirds are singing together
very early in the morning, when one would suppose that
the song would be at its best, I have scarcely ever heard
a singer suggest the major. Here is a song, the minor
key of which was unmistakably evident, that came to
my ears at half-past five on a morning in June, 1902, in
Dublin, N. H.

314

BLUEBIRD.

eto ry legato et Ascend
Grate

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ie TES Set A amet
,
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U i

One of the most extraordinary effects of color I have
ever witnessed in my life was exhibited by a Bluebird
in full sunlight relieved against the sombre background
of a thunder-cloud. It was in Middlebury, Vt., late in
the afternoon when: the sun shone slanting across the
lawn adjoining the residence of a friend. He pointed
out the bird to me, and upon viewing it through my
opera-glass fiwas more than amazed. The breast was a
light, zesthetic red suggestive of the conch-shell’s color;
the shoulders were a vivid turquoise blue! The feathers
had an iridescent effect enhanced by a tiny flash of
brilliant white which was the touch of the sun’s strong
rays upon the back of a black beetle held in the bird’s
mouth. What a revelation of color it was! I wondered
at the time whether any one would believe it if I painted
it; ‘‘most likely they would not,” I said to myself,
‘*that would be the penalty for reporting Nature in one
of her eccentric moods!’”’ It is difficult to believe in such
color mostly because of its strange brilliance. Neverthe-
less, in the strong sunlight, the wonderful orange cadmium
hue of the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), a
common species of the Mississippi Valley, is like a gleam
of gold against the sombre setting of the southern jungle.
Indeed, the revelation for one’s eyes is not less startling than

315

FAMILY Turdidz.

that of a turquoise blue bird! The gloom of the cypress
swamp is a foil for the flash of the Prothonotary who is
ever on the move; no Oriole or Tanager outshines him.
But his song does not equal his costume, Mr. Brewster
likens it to the notes of the Solitary Sandpiper with two
more syllables added. (See illustration, p. 234.)

It may also be quite as difficult to think that a bird
should have actually sung one of the melodies recorded
in this volume; if so, the best way to overcome the
difficulty is to take ears as well as eyes into the fields and
listen not to every singer at once but to one at a time!
Perhaps then, after the unravelling of Nature’s tangled
gold and silver threads of melody, one strain may be
heard far more beautiful than any of the musical frag-
ments recorded here. The little bird is Nature’s expo-
nent of the joy of living; his song never dies with him,
he passes it on! But the singer! where, what—-so little
indication is there of such a thing—is his end? Perhaps
Rev. William J. Long has answered that question better
than any one, in the School of the Woods. He writesas
follows of the touching sight of a little aged wood
Warbler which he found loitering beside the spring near
his tent in the wilderness: ‘‘ For several days I had
noticed him there resting or flitting aboutythe under-
brush. . . . Hewasold and alone; the dark feathers
of his head were streaked with gray, and his feet showed
the wrinkled scales that age always brings to the
birds. . . . Today he was quieter than usual; when
I stretched out my hand to take him he made no resist-
ance, but settled down quietly on my finger and closed
his eyes. . . . As twilight came and all the voices
of the wood were hushed, I put him back on the ever-
green frond, where he nodded off tosleep. . . . Next
morning he was closer to the friendly spring. .
Again he nestled down in my hand and drank gratefully
the drop of water from my finger tip. At twilight I
found him hanging head down from a spruce root, his
feet clinched in a hold that would never loosen, his bill
just touching the life-giving water. . . . He had
fallen asleep there, in peace.”

316

A LIST OF THE SONG BIRDS OF THE PEMIGE.
WASSET VALLEY FROM THE FRANCONIA
NOTCH TO PLYMOUTH, N. H., WITH THE
APPROXIMATE DATES OF THEIR ARRIVAL
IN SPRING.

Letters mean: vc, very common; c, common; rc, rather
common; r u, rather uncommon; r, rare; vr, very rare.

Downy Woodpeckervc . ... . All the year
Chickadee ve. ; ; . All the year
White-breasted Ruchateh TO: ; . All the year
Canada Jay r u High mountains ; . All the year
Robinve . . ARO - March 20
Bluebird v c ° ° ° ° . . March 20
Bronze Grackleru . ° ptt - March 25
Song Sparrow vc : ° ° . . March 25
Swamp Sparrowru . ee - « March 30
Phoebe ve . : é ° ° ; . April 8
Cowbird vr : “ ° ° ° —
Red-winged Blackbird ru ° ‘ . April 10
Flickervec . ; 4 ° > ° - April 10
Purple Finche . ; ‘ " ‘ . April 15
Vesper Sparrowve . ° . ‘ . April 15
Pine Warblerr . ‘ . ‘ : . April 20
Water Thrush ru ‘ P ° ‘ . April 20
Chipping Sparrow v c iy ° . April 25
Myrtle Warbler r oh ere Py Sed ice . April 25
Hermit Thrushve ., 5 . ° . April 25
Savanna Sparrow ru ; , : . April 25
Ruby-crowned Kingletr . : ; . April 80
Field Sparrow rc : ; . Mayl

Blue Jay vc : : . “All the year, and May 1
Winter Wrenc . . - May5d
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker ru ; . May5d
Snow Bunting c winter; one < P —
Purple Martin rc j ‘ é . MaySd5

Barn Swallow vc : : , - MaySd
White-throated Sparrowve . « ~« Mays

317

A LIST OP SPRING ARRIVALS.

Tennessee Warbler vr ; -
Cape May Warbler vr ° °
Chebecrec . ;

Black-throated Green Warbler v ve

White-crowned Sparrow r.
Yellow Palm Warblervr .
Spotted Sandpiper rc yar
Chewink ru . 5 °
Blue-headed Vireo r c ; ‘
Cliff Swallow vc é : F

Bank Swallow vc ? .
Black and White Warbler + ve
Chestnut-sided Warbler v c

Redstart v c ‘ ° ° °
Oven-birdvc . : : °
Chimney Swiftve . °
Brown Thrasher c ‘ ° A
Catbirdvc .

Wood Thrush v r, only one record
Kingbird v c 3 rs :
Baltimore Oriolerc . > °
Bobolink v r : ° . »
Indigo Buntingve . ° “
Warbling Vireoru . . .
Nashville Warbler rc ° .
Northern Parula Warblerru .
Yellow Warblervr . .
Black-throated Blue Warbler rec
Magnolia Warbler rc ;
Maryland Yellow-throat v c
Veery vc

Junco c winter; departs
Whip-poor-willve .
House Wrenvr. :
Black-billed Cuckoove .

/
. * . J - .

Nighthawk v c

Ruby-throated Hummingbird vo
Rose-breasted Grosbeak r u
Scarlet Tanagerru . : .

Red-eyed Vireove . ¢ .
Wood Peweeve . ;. P F

318

A LIST Of SPRING ARRIVALS.

Blackburnian Warbler vr. , ;
Black-poll Warblervr . gas °
Bay-breasted Warblervr . ° . .
Wilson’s Warblervr. : > : F
Canadian Warbler rc - ‘ :
Olive-backed Thrushve .

Bicknell’s Thrush ru High mountains only
Goldfinch v c ‘ é i ° . ;

319

May 20
May 20
May 23
May 28
May 25
May 25

May 25

SIX MAPS RELATING TO THE MIGRATIONS
OF BIRDS

1. Life zones.

2. Visiting winter species with 10 other species which
fly to the far north.

3,4,5- Migratory routes of 22 species.

6. Terminal location in South America of 16 far-
migrating species.

320

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Bg: Black thré Green» a ; <
P= . 'y i. »
RY: Red-eyed Vireo =~
S= Song Sparrow
> 500 10) E
‘ALG OF ILES oS y :

MIGRATORY ROUTES OF THE BLACK-THROATED GREEN,
CHESTNUT-SIDED, YELLOW, AND PROTHONOTARY
WARBLERS, RED*EYED VIREO AND. SONG SPARROW.
Only the four species,Bg,C,SgPhalt short of the limits of Colombia _
the eighteen other species (see maps) fly on, many hundreds of miles beyond.

ee een ens

RV- Red-eyed Vireo

= Veery

= Redstart

= Bobolink

= Kingfisher
=Scarlet Tanager f |
= Baltimore Oriole |/- §
: Yellow Warbler
BW: Black-poll Warbler
Bb = Blackburn’ Warbler
GT = Gray-cheek Thrush
OT = Olive-back’ Thrush
BT = Bicknell’s Thrush
YC = Yellow-bi¢ Cuckoo
BC « Black-bl¢ Cuckoo
RG = Rose-br¢ Grosbeak

<OYABDA<

Scate of Miles

THE WINTER HOMES OF SIXTEEN OF OUR SUMMER BIRDS
MOST OF WHOSE MIGRATORY ROUTES EXCEED 5000 MILES
a distance double that from Philadelphia to San Franeiseo inan air line.
The route of the OT 1s about 8500m long, that of the GT 7500m. BW 7200m
K Jooom. RV6600m B6500m. BC 6400m. YC 6000m. Y6000m. R5600m.
Se 5100m RG5loom. Bb4800m. 04700m. V 3600m BI? 3400m
Bicknell Thrush migrates to the Bahamasand Haiti,and probably to Venezuela.

R é
4 g.
RR 4
| R
a e nwo he
NB bee » ev lsh R 4
, Ro
: B\ 7
\ fs SMe
el a Se
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AS : RM B d 28
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B = Bobolink hE ne J es
V-Veery Pept ah 2 S . 7
Se: Scarlet Tanager x" > \ | . R—-B
BT =BicknellS Thrush
ee PS ee "eae
= Redstart NA.
B - Bluebird ng Bs~\\-\ ¥
T \
Seale of Miles | R
I : c

MIGRATORY ROUTES OF THE BOBOLINK, VEERY,
SCARLET TANAGER, BICKNELLS THRUSH, ROBIN,
REDSTART, BLUEBIRD AND EASTERN MEADOWLARK.
The Robin, Bluebird and Meadowlark migrate only as faras the Gulf Coast.
The lines indicate the general direction of flight. Most courses spread laterally be
fore the finish, many are roundabout, all vary very little from the ancient plan,and few
are absolutely known in every detail. Map of So.Ameriea has initial key for other species.

Df
C

"Raee.,

A
SCALE OF MILES
Rr = ee 1

MIGRATORY ROUTES OF THE YELLOW-BILLED AND BLACK
BILLED CUCKOOS, OLIVE-BACKED AND GRAY-CHEEKED
THRUSHES, BLACKBURNIAN AND BLACKPOLL WARBIL-

-ERS, KINGFISHER, AND ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.
The distanee covered by four of the species from Alaska to the shores of South
America is about 6000 m, and to their southernmost halt from 7000 to 8500mites
The range of the BW, KOT &GT is east toNewfd the BC to P Edwards [8G to Cape Breton 1.

INDEX.

The new scientific names not appearing in the context but in this
index are those of the check-list of the American Ornithologists’
Union, revised 3d edition—i910, which date appears beside those

names.

The discarded older names advisedly remain, but every
newer name of 1910 is also given.

The single letter appearing in a name indicates a doubled specific
name, thus: Acanthis I. linaria is Acanthis linaria linaria.

Acadian Chickadee, 233.
Acanthis1. linaria, 281.
Agelaius p. pheniceus, 54.
Alder Flycatcher, 274.
Aluco pratincola, 269.
Ammodramus savannarum aus-
tralis (1910), 89.
Ampelide, Family, 147.
Ampbelis cedrorum, 147.
Antrostomus ¥. vociferus, 26.
Archilochus colubris (1910), 34.
Arlington Heights, Mass., 134,
185, 192.
Arnold Arboretum, Forest Hills,
Mass., 4, 66, 122, 127, 143,
166, 192, 201, 231, 242.
Astragalinus t. tristis, 79.

Beolophus bicoler, 234.
Baltimore Oriole, 64.
Barn Owl, 269.
Barn Swallow, 52.
Barred Owl, 10, 270.
Bay-breasted Warbler, 186.
Belted a emg 272.
Bewick’s Wren, 218.
Bicknell’s Thrush, 249.
‘Black and White Creeper, 164.
Warbler, 164, 187.
Black and Yellow Warbler, 181.
Black-billed Cuckoo, 15,17.
Blackbird, Crow, 70, 71.
Red-Winged, 54, 71.
Blackburnian Warbler, 189.
Black-capped Chickadee, 228.
Blackcap, Wilson’s, 206, 207.
Black-pol!l Warbler, 173,174,187.
Black-throated Blue Warbler,
178, 196, 206.
Black-throated Green Warbler,
190.
Bluebird, 45, 313.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 238.
Blue-headed Vireo, 160.
Blue Hills, Mass., 129.
Blue Jay, 43, 71.

Blue-winged Warbler, 297.
Blue Yellow-backed Warbler,

171.

Bobolink, 48, 79, 198.

Bob-white, 3, 7.

Bohemian Waxwing, 292.

Bombycilla cedrorum (1910), 147.
garrula, 292.

Bonasa umbellus togata (1910),

7.
Rouen Mass., 59, 130, 166, 201,
2

06.

Bronzed Grackle, 71.

Brown Creeper, 224.

Brown Thrasher, 210, 212, 213.

Bubonide, Fa.nily, 10.

Bubo v. virginianus, 13.

Bunting, Indigo, 73, 136.
Snow, 83, 85.

Cambridge, Mass., 68, 130, 134,
153, 157, 193.
Campton, N.H., 7, 60, 79» 108,
125, 130, 132, 139, 162, 185.
Canada Jay, 46. :
Canadian Flycatcher, 207.
Warbler, 207.
Cape May Warbler, 172.
Caprimulgidea, Family, 25.
Cardinal Bird, 73, 290.
Cardinalis c. cardinalis, 290.
Carolina Chickadee, 232.
Carolina Wren, 215.
Carpodacus p. purpureus, 74.
Catbird, 210, 211, 213.
Cedarbird, 147.
Cedar Waxwing, 147, 292.
Certhiafamiliaris americana,224.
Ceryle alcyon, 272.
Chetura pelagica, 32.
Chattanooga, Tenn., 188, 205.
Chat, Yellow-breasted, 16, 203.

Cherrybird, 147.
Chestnut-sided Warbler, 183.
Chewink, 73, 125.

INDEX.

Chickadee, 46, 147, 227.

Acadian, 233.

Carolina, 232.

Hudsonian, 233.

Chimney Swallow, 32.

Swift, 32, 65.
ChippingSparrow, 101,170,181.
Chippy, 89, ror, 108, 124, 195.
Chordeiles v. virginianus, 30.
Cistothorus stellaris, 222.

Clape, 25.
Coccyges, Order, 15.
Coccyzus a. americanus, 15.

erythrophthalmus, 17.
Colaptes auratus, 23.

Colinus 0. virginianus, 3.

Compsothlypis americana usnea@,
171.

Connecticut River Valley, 52.

Connecticut Warbler, 304.

Contopus virens, 38.

Corvide, Family, 43.

Corvus americanus, 47.

b. brachyrhynchos (, 1910), 47-

Coturniculus savanarum passer-
inus, 89.

Cowbird, 53, 177.

Creeper, Blackand White, 164.

Brown, 224.

Crossbill, American, 278.
Red, 278.
White-winged, 280.

Crow, A°: 43,.47-

Crow, Blackbird, 70, 71.

Cuckoo, Black-billed, 15, r7, 20.
European, I9.
Yellow-billed, 15.

Cuculide, Family, 15.

Cuculus canorus, 15.

Cyanocitta c. cristata, 43.

Cyanos piza cyanea, 136.

Dendroica e@stiva, 174.
blackburne, 189.
c. cerulescens, 178.
castanea, 186.
coronata, 180.
discolor, 196.
fusca (1910), 189.
maculosa, 18t.
magnolia (1910), 18r.
palmarum hypochrysea, 195.
pensylvanica, 183.
striata, 187.
tigrina, 172.
Vigorsi, 194.
virens, 190.
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, 48.
Downy Woodpecker, 21.
Dryobates pubescens medianus
(1910), 21.
Dublin, N. H., 127, 314.
Dumetella carolinensis (1910),
2it.

Empidonax minimus, 42.
trailli alnorum, 274.

322

Englewood, N. J., 50, 242.
Eugenes fulgens, 34.
Evening Grosbeak, 276.
Field Lark, 57.
Field Sparrow, 73, 103, 124.
ae Tass, 85.
urple, 73, 74, 134, 154.

Firebird, 64. tes
Flicker, 23, 30.
Flycatcher, Canadian, 207.

Alder, 274.

Family, 35.

Least, 42.
Forest Hills, Mass., 67.
Fox Sparrow, 73, 120, 288.
Franconia Notch, 251.
Franconia Mountains, N. H.,

IQI, 254.

Fringillide, Family, 73.
Galeoscoptes carolinensis, 211.
Galline Order, 3.
Geothly pis t. trichas, 200.
Gloucester, Mass., 231.
Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray, 238.
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 235.
Golden-crowned Thrush, fy.
Golden Robin, %
Golden-winged Warbler, 166.
Golden-winged Woodpecker, 23.
Goldfinch, American, 73,79,139.-
Grackle, Bronzed, 71.

Purple, 70.
Grass Finch, 85.
Grasshopper gn int 89.
Gray-cheeked Thrush, 248.
Great Horned Owl, ro, 13.
Grosbeak, Evening, 73, 276.

Pine, 74, 277.

Rose-breasted, 73, 93, 129,

I4I, 142, 145.

Grouse, Ruffled, 7.

Hangnest, 64.

Hanover, N. H., 51.

Harry Wicket, 25.

Helminthrophila chrysoptera, 166.
rubricapilla, 169.

Helmitheros vermivorus, 296.

Hermit Thrush, 38, 255.

Hes periphona 0. vespertina, 276.

High-hole, 25.

Hittock, 25.

Hooded Warbler, 204.

Hoot Owl, 270.

House Wren, 218.

Hudson River Valley, 52.
Hudsonian Chickadee, 233.
Hummingbird, Ruby-throated,

34-
Hylocichla a. alicia, 248.
a. bicknelli, 249.
tf. fuscescens, 244.
gultata pallasi, 255.
mustelina, 239.
ustulata swainsoni, 252.

Icteria v. virens, 203.

INDEX,

Icterida, Family, 48.

Icterus galbula, 64.
Spurius, 63.

Indigo Bird, 136.

Indigo Bunting, 73, 136.

Ipswich Sparrow, 283.

Jay, Blue, 43, 46.
Canada, Rae
Jefferson, N. H., 240.
Junco, 108, 139.
Junco h. hyemalis, 108.

Centucky Warbler, 302.

Cin: ’ 35-

‘ingfisher, Belted, 272.
cinglet, Golden-crowned, 235,
Ruby-crowned, 236. _

A bend teed
NR

Lake Memphremagog, 266.

Lake Winnepesaukee, 240.

Lanivireo flavifrons (1910), 157.
s. solitarius (1910), 160.

Lark, 20.

Lark, Field, 57.

Least Flycatcher, 42.

Lincoln's Sparrow, 287.

Linnet, 74.

Long-billed Marsh Wren, 223.

Louisiana Water-thrush, 301.

Loxia curvirostra minor, 278.
leucopiera, 280.

Macrochires, Order, 25.

Magnolia Warbler, 181.

Martha’s Vineyard, 180.

Maryland Yellow-throat, 200,
204, 205.

Meadowlark, 57, 161.

Megascops asio, 10.

Melospiza cineria melodia, 109.
m. melodia (1910), 109.
georgiana, 124.

l. lincolni, 287.

Merula migratoria, 308.

Micropodide, Family, 32.

Middlebury, Vt., 62, 315.

. Middlesex Falls, Mass., 104.

Millington, N. J., 219.

Mimus Pp. polyglottos, 307.

Mississippi Valley, 71, 72, 74-

Mniotiltide, Family, 163.

Mniotilta varia, 164.

Mockingbird, 210, 211, 307.

Molothrus a. ater, eS

Monadnock, Mt., N. H., 125,

240.
Morristown, N. J., 130.
Mourning Warbler, 305.
Mt. Washington, N. H., 99.
Mountain Lake, Va., 182.
Myrtle Warbler, 180, 188.

Nannus h. hiemalis, 220.
Nantucket, Mass., 59, 60, 63,

110, 181.
Nashville Warbler, 169.

‘New York City, 166, 201, 206.

Nighthawk, 8, 30.

Nightingale, 19, 135, 256.

Northampton, Mass., 49.

Northern Parula Warbler, 171.

Nuthatch, Red-breasted, 226.
White-breasted, 226.

N yctea nyctea, 271.

Odontophoride, Family (Bob-
_ white, 1910), 3.
Olive-backed Thrush, 252.
Oporornis agilis, 304.
formosus, 302.
Philadelphia, 305.
Oriole, Baltimore, 48, 63-64, 70,
85, IOI, IFI, 145, 211.
Orchard, 63, 186.
Ortolan, 48.
Otus a. asio (1910), Io.
Oven-bird, 197, 212.

| Owl, Barn, 269.

Barred, 10, 270.
Great Horned, 10-13.
Hoot, 270.

Screech, 10.

Snowy, 271.

Paride, Family, 225.
Parine, Sub-family, 225.
Partridge, 3, 7:
Parus airicapillus, 227.
Passerculus sandwichensis sa-
vanna, 285.
princeps, 283.
Passerella i. iliaca, 288.
Passeres, Order, 35.
Passerina cyanea (1910), 136.
nivalis, 83.
Peabody-bird, 39, 90, 95.
Pemigewasset Valley, 52, 99.
Penthestes a. atricap&lus, 227.
c. carolinensis, 232.
hudsonicus litioralis, 233.
Perisoreus c. canadensis, 46.
Pewee, Wood, 38, 57, 69, 161.
Philadelphia Vireo, 293.
Pheebe, 37, 229.
Picide, Family, 21.
Pict, Order, 21.
Pine Grosbeak, 277.
Pine Siskin, 282.
Pine Warbler, 194.
Pinicola enucleator leucure, 277.
Pipilo e. erythrophihalmus, 125.
Piranga erythromelas, 140.
Piut, 25. :
Planesticus m. migratorius(1910),

308. :
Plectrophenax n. nivalis (1910),

83.
Plymouth, N. H., 52, 153.
Polioptila c. caerulea, 238.
Po@cetes g. gramineus, 85.
Prairie Warbler, 196.
Prothonotary Warbler, 315s.
Protonotaria citrea, 315.

323

INDEX.

Purple Finch, 73, 74, 134, 154. _

Purple Grackle, 70.

Quail, 3, 9.
European, 19.
Quiscalus q. quiscalus, 70.
q. quiscula aéneus, 71.

Raptores, Order, 10.
Red-breasted Nuthatch, 226.
Sip? bet Vireo, 149, 157, 212.
Red Crossbill, 278.
Redpoll, 281.
Red-poll, Yellow, 195.
Redstart, American. 187,206,208.
Red-winged Blackbird, 54.
Reedbird, 48.
Regulus c. calendula, 236.

S. salrapa, 235.
Ricebird, 48.
Robin, American, 66, 93, 130,

132, 135, 141, 308.

hon oo 64, 308.

Golden, 64.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 93, 129,

141.

Roxbury, Mass., 67.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 236.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,

34.
Ruffled Grouse, 7.

Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, 273.
Savannah Sparrow, 285.
Sayornis phebe, 37.

Scarlet Tanager, 140.

Screech Owl, ro.

Seiurus aurocapillus, 197.

motacilla, 301.

n. noveboracensis, 300.
Setophaga ruticilla, 208.
Short-billed Marsh Wren, 222.
Sialia s. sialis, 313.

Siskin, Pine, 282.

Sitta c. carolinensis, 226.
Sittine, Sub-family, 225.
Skylark, 62, 84.

Snowbird, 108.

snow Bunting, 83, 85.

Snowy Owl, 271.

Snowflake, 83.

Solitary Vireo, 160, 163.

Song Sparrow, 65, 86, 109, 229.
South Orange, N. J., 130.
Sparrow, Chipping, ror, 170,181.

Field, 73, 103, 124.

Fox, 73, 129, 288.

Grasshopper, 80.

Ipswich, 283.

Lincoln's, 287.

Savannah, 285.

Song, 65, 86, 100, 229.

Swamp, 124.

Tree, 286.

Vesper, 85, 92, 108, 123.

White-crowned, 73, 90.

White-throated, 73, 95.

7 dtd etd

Sphyrapicus v. varius, 273.
Spinus pinus, 282.
Spizella m. monticoia, 286.
‘“* p. passerina (1910), 101.
bd. pusilla, 103.
_ socialis, 101.
Starling, 275.
Strix v. varia, 270.
Sturnella m. magna, 57.
Sturnus vulgaris, 275.
Swainson’s Thrush, 252.
Swallow, Chimney. 32.
Swamp Sparrow, 124.
Swift, Chimney, 32, 65.

Tanager, Scarlet, 140.

Summer, 140.

Tanagride, Family, 140.

Tangaride, Family (1910), 140.

Tawny Thrush, 244.

Telmatodytes p. palustris, 223.

Tennessee Warbler, 208. -

Tetraonide, Family (Partridge,
1910), 3.

Thistle-bird, 79.

Thrasher, Brown, 210, 212, 213.

Thrush, Bicknell’s, 249.

Golden-crowned, 197.

Gray-cheeked, 248.

Hermit, 38, 255.

Olive-backed, 252.

Swainson’s, 252.

Tawny, 244.

Wilson s, 244.

Wood, 59. 239. 265.
Thryomanesb.bewicki(1910),218.
Thryothorus l. ludovicianus, 215.
Tilton, N. H., 6.

Titmouse, Tufted, 234.
Towhee, 125.

Toxostoma rufum, 213.
Tree Sparrow, 286.
Trochilide, Family, 33.
Trochilus colubris, 34.
Troglodytes a. aedon, 218.
Troglodytida, Family, 210.
Turdide, Family, 239.
Tyrannide, Family, 35.
Tyrannus tyrannus, 35.

Veery, 244.
Vermivora, chrysoptera
166.
peregrina, 208.
pinus, 207.
eds fos Sey bcae {r910), 50.
esper Sparrow, 85,02, 108, 123.
Vireo, Blue-headed, 160.
Spe pone aes 293.
Red-eyed, 149.
Solitary, 160.
Warbling, 153. 198.
White-eyed, 161, 162.
Yellow-throated, 157.
Vireo flavifrons, 157.
gilvus, 153.
g. griseus (1910), 162.

(1g10),

324

INDEX.

Vireonide, Family, 140.

Vireo acensts, 162.
olivaceus, 149.
solitarius, 160.

Vireo, Red-eyed, 149, 157, 212.
Solitary, 160, 163.

Vireosylva, g. gilva 1350); 153.
olivacea (1910), 149. :
philadelphica, 293.

Wake-up, 25.

Warbler, Bay-breasted, 186.
Black and White, 164, 187.

_ Black and Yellow, 181.

\ Blackburnian, 189.
Black-poll, 173, 174, 187.
Black-throated Blue, 178, 196,

206.
Black-throated Green, 190.
Blue-winged, 297.
Canadian, 207.

Cape May, 172.
Chestnut-sided, 183.
Connecticut, 304.
Golden-winged, 166.
Hooded, 204.
Kentucky, 302.
Magnolia, 181.
Mourning, 305.
Myrtle, 180, 188.
Nashville, 160. ©
Northern Parula, 171.
Pine, 194.

Prairie, 196.
Tennessee, 208.
Wilson's, 206.
Worm-eating, 296.
Yellow, 174, 184, 208.
Yellow Palm, 195.
Yellow-rumped, 180.

Warbling Vireo, 75, 153, 198.

Water-thrush, 300.
Louisiana, 301.

Waterville, N. H., 46.

Waxwing, Bohemian, 292.
Cedar, 147, 292.

Wellesley Hills, Mass., 59, 62.

Whip-poor-will, 26, 211.

Whisky Jack, 46.

White-breasted Nuthatch, 226.
White-crowned Sparrow, 73, 90.
White-eyed Vireo, 161, 162.
White Mountains, N. H., 46, 08,
99, 108, 125, 183, 188, 201,
_ 231, 2616

White-throated Sparrow, 73, 90.
White-winged Crossbill, 280.
Wilsonia canadensis, 207.

citrina (1910), 204.

mitrata, 204.

p. pusilla, 206.
Wilson’s Blackcap, 206, 207.
Wilson’s Thrush, 244.
Wilson’s Warbler, 206. ~ ,
Winter Wren, 220.
Woodpecker, Downy, 21, 226.

Golden-winged, 23.

Hairy, 21, 23.
Wood Pewee, 38, 57, 69, 161.
Wood Thrush, 59, 239, 265.
Woodwall, 25.
Worm-eating Warbler, 296.
Wren, 210.

Bewick’s, 218.

Carolina, 215.

House, 218.

Long-billed, 223.

Short-billed Marsh, 222.

Winter, 220.

Yarrup, 25.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 273.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, i5.
Yellow-bird, 79.
Yellow-breasted Chat, 63, 203.
Yellow-hammer, 25.

Yellow Palm Warbler, 195.
Yellow Red-poll, 195.
Yellow-rumped Warbler, 180.
Yellow-throat, Maryland, 200

204, 205.
Yellow-throated Vireo, 157.
Yellow Warbler, 174, 184, 208.
Yucker, 25.

Zamelodia ludoviciana, 129.
Zonotrichia albicollis, 95.
1. leucophrys, 90.

325

BOOKS FOR THE COUNTRY

Field Book of Wild
Birds and Their

Music

By
F. Schuyler Mathews

A Description of the Character and
Music of Birds, Intended to Assist in
the Identification of Species Common
in the Eastern United States. With 53
Reproductions in Water-Color, and
Numerous Pen-and-Ink Studies of Bird-

Songs by the Author.

G. P. Putnam’s Sons
New York London

Field Book of
Western Wild

Flowers
By
Margaret Armstrong

16°. Over 600 pages. 500 Black and White,
48 Color, Illustrations

In collaboration with Prof. J. J.
Thornber of the University of Arizona
and Botanist of the Arizona Agricul-
ture Experiment Station at Tucson.

Bound uniform with the Field Books
of Schuyler Mathews. This is the
first time that an adequate field book
has been presented for the use of flora
lovers, living or visiting west of the
Rockies. 48 illustrations in color and
500 in black and white supplement the
very useful text. Technical and bo-
tanical names have been translated
into ordinary English.

G. P. Putnam’s Sons
New York London

—

The
Field Book of Insects

With Special Reference to Those of the North-
eastern United States, Aiming to
Answer Common Questions

by Frank E. Lutz

Associate Curator, Dept. of Invertebrate Zoology,
American Museum of Natural History

16°, About 800 Illustrations, Many in
Color, by Edna F, Beutenmuller
Flex, clo, Flex. lea

Hints concerning collecting, breeding, preserv-
ing, and classifying insects; “catch characters,’’
rather than lengthy descriptions, by which com-
monly observed insects, and insects which would
repay observation, may be recognized; outlines
of interesting or economically important insect
life histories; and an untechnical but scientifi-
cally accurate text.

Uniform with Schuyler Mathews’s books of
Birds, Flowers, and Trees.

G. P. Putnam’s Sons
New York London

me
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book of wild birds and their music,

Mathews, Ferdinand Sch
Field

University of Toronto —
Library

—_

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Acme Library Card Pocket
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: Made by LIBRARY BUREAU

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