The Empire County argus., 1854-11-18

| loves OF men ana or angels, but they have never
been known to sing of the loves Of birds. They
have been very ncglectful in this respect. The
loves of the birds would form as fruitful themo
those of the poets themselves. In their attach
ments they are generally faithful and affectionatc
and it must be confessed they are, like men, lit
tie jealous sometimes. Audubon gives beautiful
description of the loves of the humming birds. He
says that in their courtship the male dancing air
ly upon the wing, swells his plumage and throat
and whirls lightly around the female; then diving
towards a flower he returns with loadedlbill which
he profers to her. He seems full of ecstasy when
his caresses are kindly received. His little wings
fan her as they fan the flowers, and he transfers
her bill the insect and the honey which he has pro-
cured. If his addresses are received with favor his
courage and care are redoubed. He dares even to
chase the tyrant fly catcher, and hurries the blue
bird and martin to their nests, and then, sound
ing.pinions he joyously returns to his lovely mate
Who would not be a humming bird Audubon
says:
Gould you, kind reader, cast momentary glance
at the nest Of the hurnming bird and see, as1 have
seen, the newly yhatched pair Of young, little larger
than bumbe-bees, naked, blind, and so feeble as
scarcely to be able to raise their little bills to
ceive food from their parents full Of anxiety and
fear passing and re-passing within few inches Of
your lace, allghtlng on tWig not more than yard
from your body awaiting the result ofyour unwel-
! come visit in a state of the utmost despair-you
could not fail to be impressed with the deepest
pangs which parental affection feels on the unex-
pected death of cherished child. Then how plea
sing is it, your leaving the spot, to the
turning hopes of the parents when, after cxamn-
ing the nest, they find their musings untouched J."
We have remarked above that birds, as well as
men, are sometimes jealous in love. An exception,
however, may be found in this general rule in the
goden-wingcd wood -pecler, frequent and we'll
known inhabtant of our American forests Among
tbn Grim p1 IaIl nFth
no jealousies seem to exist, and no quarrels ever
occur. Cheerily they hop through life, attended
by the good wishes of all their acquaintances. and
OF each other. No sooner does spring call them to
the pleasant duty Of selecting mates and pairing
off, than their voices may be heard from the tops Of
high decayed trees procaiming with delight the
opening Of the welcome Their note Of this
period is merriment ITSELF and when heard at lit
tie distance, resembles prolonged and joyal laugh.
These golden winged woodpeckers are the darngs
OF Audubon. In describing their manner OF ma
ting he says that several males surround female.
and to prove the truth and earnestness their love-
bow their heads, spread their tails, and move side
ways, backwards and forwards performing such
antics as would induce any one witnessing them to
join. his laugh to theirs. The female coyly flies to
another tree, where she is closely followed by her
suitors, and where again the same ceremonies are
gone through with until marked preference Is IN
dicated for some individual
In this way, all the golden-winged woodpeckers
are soon happily mated, and each pair proceeds to
excavate a hole in tree for nest They work
alternately with industry and apparent pleasure.
When the nest is finished, they caress each other
on the tree top, rattle their bills against the dead
branches, 'chase their cousins, the red head, defy
the purple grakles to enter their nest and feed
plentifuly on ants, beetles and larvae" By and
by the female lays four six eggs, the whteness
and transparency of which are doubtless the de-
light of her heart. Those woodpeckers raise nu-
merous progeny, having two broods every season.
The loves of the turtledove and mocking-bird
are graphically described by Audubon, as are also
those of the wild turkey, who is said to be even
more ridiculous in his motions and more absurd in
his demonstrations Of affection than is our common
tame gander. The curious evolutions in the air
of the great horned owl, or his motions when he
has alighted near his beloved, Audubon confesses
himself unable to describe. He says the bowings
and snappings of the hill are extremely ludcrous :
and no sooner is the female assured that the atten-
tons paid her by her lover the result Of sincere
affection, than she joins in the motions Of her fu-
ture mate
SO much for the loves of birds In many respects
they resemble those of men We have among us
in society humming-brd lovers, our golden
winged woodpeckers, our turtle-doyes, our turkeys
and ganders and occasionally we find pair who
remind us of horned owls.-BoSton Journat,