The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-06-07
4 Bird Story.
THE BoboLYK AND THE CANAnms.
GRrAr B.BRISGroy. March IL

GREAT DARLINGTON, March l3, 1851.
MEssRs. EpiTORs A curious circumstance
quite aside from the ordinary dictates of instinct
occurred IN the case Of young bobolink in the
family of Rev j. W. Turnor OF Great Darlington
Mass.-lie was Gagged at frs apart from pair Of
canarles, which were in another cage in the same
room. The bobolmk never sang at all from June
to december, unil he was permitted to share in
the same cage the ciyIitles Of his neghbors, the
canaric., who hai beer SO long entertaining him
with their sweet and unwearled strains. When
admitted to the same cage with them, he tried
most assiduously To learn their song At first
however, for u long time, with miserable success
enough. He wOuld stand and watch them with
an agony Of attention. and then Try to initiate their
notes lie would swell out his throat. and stretch
up his neck as they did and then, with violen,
effort try to sound one note which, in spite Of all
his zeal and labor, proved to he mere rough
scream. At this humiltating failure, he would
be SO provoked and eneraged that he would ny
at his iuolen,ve and well meaning mates aud
teachers, aud pack them most numerically, and
drive thom from their perch So lie did for three
or four weeks before any apparent progress was
made in his studies. But his perseverance, was
equal to the difficulties he had overcome At
length he could sound one note we'll and .ne
only. And 50 be continued for some six weeks
longer, learning one note at u time, till he bad
finally completed the whole canary song. and
could sing it 10 perfection. Then he would sing
with them IN perfect harmony and perfect time,
always closing the exact note with them.
II is also little singular that, although through
all tins strainlng, he was never known to begin to
make sound till the canarics had first struck the
keynote, yet after he had acquired the skill Of
their song, he must always himself now give the
signal by u significant ciuck, when Instantly, the
cannrics, generously forgetting or lorgiyiny his
former mclvties, strike in with him, and perform
the piece with the greatest perfection, and with
tho highest delight to themselves and the listening
family, who enjoyed this singular concert through
the earIy part Of every day for the whole sum
mer.
II is also worthy Of remark that this successful
essaylst Ia foreign music was never known to ut.
ter note, or attempt to utter note in his native
tongue till he had mastered the canary. Then
after iow weeks, when he found himself some
'hlng OF an independent singer, and capable as he
thought, ofleading the choir, he at last ventured
to so without the chorus and attempt his own na.
tive melody Yin his first attempts at the SOLO it
was most divertiHg to hear him in confused notes
part in his native boboling aud part in canary
till at length he was ablu to cxpcl all foreign
elements from his song only the pure bobolink
Having now succeeded in this, he proposed to
the conares to try the chorus again, aud gave the
"ciHck," when the canaries, instant to the sing
started oil singing their own native song. But
not so the bo6olmk he threw himself on his re.
served rights" and sung bobolink and so they
have continued to the present time he singing
bobOink, and the canary, Aud Us he is the chor.
iser they begin when hc does, Gnd end when he
does, precisely at the same iustata
When thi, bobuliuk was first caught his colors
where II bright beautiful black md white. AZ
ter moltDg ho for SOME reasons not sta, ed never
resumed his original spring dress, has continued
the plain brown, like the female, now for two
years aud sings IN the winter as well as in the