Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-04-05

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beautiful creatures, are generally OF a migratory
habit. The main locks usually leave for less in
element regions soon after the early winter irosts;
yet n goodly number Of the Drawer sort remains;
those whose attachment to place and home is
stronger than the ties of family. Many Of these
have been constant to their summer haunts, and
have remained through the cold season, chattering
and dartiug about as lively as the liveliest oil their
hardy associates. The presence of these birds,
therefore, must not be re 1arded too confidently, as
indicative of the approach Of Spring, since many
OF them were as full Of life and enjoyment III the
coolest weather Of January, as they arc at the
present time. Their numbers, however, since the
beginning Of March, have largely increased.
Tue WooD- PrckERs.-Two species of these are
the only members of the numerous family to which
they belong that | have seen since early December.
The Downy Wood-pecker, and the Harry, are win
ter residents, and 1t would be better, perhaps, for
our orchards it they were not. | say perhaps, for
ihere are those who suspect that the injury their
borings do to the bark Of the apple trees is com
pensated by the destruction they effect of more in
furious insects. These are pretty birds, the DOwny
being the smallest Of his family; striped and spot
ted with black and white, they have u iail.bird APP
pearance and 20 steadily and silently about, mod
estly endeavoring to pick up an honest liying.with
a rather eQuivocal reputation. The rapid tap tap
ping Of their stout bills upon the fences and trees
is about all the noise they make.
THE Brown CREEPER.-This shy, s~neaking, tim
id little fellow would escape general attention. but
for his association with many of those named
above. There is nothing attractive in his manner
or appearance. When alone upon n tree, he is so
artful a dodger, and SO expert in his spiral wind
ings towards the top, keeping, unaccountably out
OF view, II he suspects you are watching him, that
he will most probably, ere you are aware of II, dis
appear misteriously altogether, without your being
able to see him at all, after the first glance.
The WHITE BREASTED NuTnATcH is n compan-
ion Of the Creeper, and has many OF his peculari-
ties. He has a monOtonous, not unmusical note,
which he constantly repeats, without variation
He has a brave contempt of ice and cold; though,
perhaps not greater than that of his comrades.
| have three additional birds to name that can
not be regarded as winter residents, being seen
only occasionally and in small numbers. Some
time about the middle of December, | saw upon a
tree in a grove near my house, a Cuckoo. ! heard
his low, melancholy cooling sometime befjr l
could fud out where it was. He sat in a Syca-
more tree, ard his plaintive, moaning call was as
soft and yentriloquial as the cooing of the turtle
dove. The bird closely resembles in appearance
the Cuckoo of England, but it has not its sneak
ing and graceless habit of laying its eggs in the
nests of other birds, and having, of course, no sub
sequent knowledge of its offspring. The Amcri.
can bird however, is an indifferent parent. and
frequently abandOns its eggs Unmatched, and its
young unfedged. The one | saw had doubtless
escaped from a flock that had sometime before
passed to the South.
On the 18th OF January, during the extreme cold
weather, the thermometer the night previous hay-
ing fallen to eighteen dc grees below zero, | heard
in the still evening twilight, tho prolonged, whirring
cry of the Night Hawk. This is an u~nsightly
bird. scarcely distinguishable from the Whip-poor
will, a species of the same genus. Its singnlarly
rrotracted and dismal cry is frequently heard here
in the summer evenings. and the u%nearthly sound,
croaking and whooping, Gin the solemn darkness -
is Sy no means suggestive of pleasant dreams
TJo N;rbt Han. Inr11 Iok +bar nn1l - ~ tha I
South is said to leave us in August; they were
still here last fall early in September. The one !
heard in January seemed to have suffered nothing
in voice or vigor by that severity Of the weather.
| heard him at intervals, far into the shades of
night; but he was probably in Tennessee mex;
morning.
l have been much interested recently with q
flock of Buntings, that have fingered about here
since the 9Th of March. There are about two doZ-
en- in the flock, and they keep timidly together
They rest at night on the ground, in the dry grass
and clumps of dead weeds in an adjoining field
In the daytime, they perch occasionally upon the
trees in a body. Individually, these birds are not
interesting for their vocal powers. They are not
given to solo performances, but sing mostly in con
cert, in the most pleasing and musical manner i'm
aginable. A few evenings since, | attended one
of their concerts with the fullest gratlfcation.-
The whole band we're upon the bare limbs OF a
black-wainut. 1t was just about sunset. Every
bird was singing, at least it seemed so. The effect
of the united voices, each a soft, sibilant, melodi-
Gus MARBLE, mingled wildly with many really fine
harmonious and dynamic passages, was very sweet
and dainty. Il was the finest bit of natural mu.
sis l ever listened to. | can compare it to nothing
more justly than to the delicate ripping notes of a
musicalbox. | could not observe the bird very
near, but have no doubt of its being the White
crowned Bunting, Of the Arctic shores; a rare Wis
itor here, and soon to be on its way to the wild So
litudes Of the far North. Indeed, / have missed
u tham nlrn1dv THAR nrnSnnpa here is 1OlhtlpGS
owing to the extremely cold weather.
1t should be added that these observations were
made at a retired place near the woods. about three
miles from the city; and | have named Only the
birds | have seen in that locality.
Cincinnati, March 10, 1856.