Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-20
Written for the Green Mountain Freeman.
Rural Sketches. Mol.

slDle TO the faSclnatl0nS oil eaftn as not 10 ad-
mire these sweet little vocalists? Who, af-
ter the long, dreamy, melancholy .sience of
winter, is not inspired with new courage to
combat with the ills of life, in listening to
their enlivening notes? We can hardly
conceive more gloomy picture than earth
would present devoid of the birds. Upon
their existence, may we not truthfully say
that much of our own happiness depends p
Not only are they calculated to cheer US
and to give earth a more pleasing aspect, but
their joyous songs have tendency to soften
the baser passions of our nature, and impress
us with just sense of the infinite love of
God. And So bearing these happy influences
they return to us when Winter has yielded
to the lovely power of Spring, and when
their flowing melody first breaks upon the
ear, oh who does not then catch the inspi-
ration of praise and exclaim in the fullness
of spirit, Thanks be to the Oliver of all
Good for the birds"
After the season has become advanced,
and the different species have returned one
after another until the choir is complete, then
it is that we listen to strains no less sweet
and harmonious than are those which fancy
would describe as being waited on the am
brosia breezes of the " Enchanted Isles"
As the music of band is made soul-thrill-
ing by the combination of different instru-
ments, so the unison of the notes Of the diff
ferent members of this great choir of Nature,
although each distinct note is sweet in itself,
produces the most admirable effect. In the
beautiful language of N. P. Willis, d" 1t is all
Gods work, and SO, harmony" AS this
principle of the Creator pervades all His
works, it is therefore found in this "unwrit-
ten music of earth.
And now let us briefly speak Of some Of
the felicitous concomitants of Spring, afford
ing, as they do, such sweet themes for the
pen of the ornithologist First, may prop
erly be mentioned the name of the New Eng.
land Robin, bird so familiar to all as to re-
quirc no praise of ours to render more wor-
thy of esteem. As regards its vocal powers,
who has not listened with feelings of pleas
ure to its meliAuous notes? How often has
its morning lay been the first sound to fall
upon our ears after being freed from the Pc
riodical control Of Somnus. There is pc
cUliar tenderness in it which at once pene-
trates the heart and excites feelings of love
and admiration.
The Orioe, or Golden Robin, another Of
the thrush species, is not only sweet singer,
but is possessed of the most beautiful plum
age and rarely seen in this section of the
country.
Our attention is next called to that mu-
steal genius of the black coat and white cap
who answers to the name of Bobolink," a
perversion of J." Robert of Lincoln" What
an enviable gift OF the powers of song does
he possess! That which distinguishes him
most from other songsters is the wonderful
variableness in his notes. He does not seem
to be confined to one air only, but has the
power of piping several at his pleasure Go
forth some fine morning in May or June, and
you cannot bnt appreciate his outbursts Of
melody.
Then there is the Pcwee, one of the ear
Hest returning Spring birds, whose soft notes
we never hear without being reminded Of
May and the flowers. Next in the category
we would mention the Blue Bird, with its
beautiful cerulean coat the lovely Ground
Sparrow, with its habit of brown, and the
Yellow Bird, bearing so much analogy tc
that favorite vocalist, the Canary, all sweet
singers, and meritorious of more extended
notice than we can give at present.
No less worthy of admiration is the Black
bird, which, for clearness and sonorousness o.
its musical abilities, may justly be pro
nounced as unsurpassed. These birds love
to remain by lakes, ponds and streams, and
often some tree Or bush that grows on thu
margin of body of water may be seen lit
orally alive with them, while the music pro
duced by a full chorus Of happy voices il
rich in the extreme.
We would next speak of that ingenious
little creature, the Swallow, indisputaby ont
of the most active of birds. How pleasing
is his merry twitter as he swiftly describes
his aerial evolutions. From early morn tc
dewy eve he is almost necessarily on tn,
wing, leaving us to wonder at his remarkable
powers of exertion. One moment he is seer
rising high in the illimitabe space-another
and his flight is nearer the earth-now h,
moves rapidly towards one point of tho com
pas-now wheels about and takes anothe
direction. There are several species of thi'
bird, and it is a matter of curiosity to not
the difference in their habits. In relation
to the single item of constructing their nests
one species choose a location beneath thu
caves of buildings and there skillfully form
dwellings of plastic earth. Another elias
take the less inviting position Of the insd
of chimney, where their ingenuity is dis
played in the construction of habitations 0
broken twi gs, curiously cemented togethe
with some glutinous substance, and made sof
with hair and wool. Still another specie
are naturally inclined tie select banks of san,
where they form holes in the earth and thcr
find subterranean homes in which to rca
their young. The Swallow is not only
pleasant bird to behold, but is very advant,
gcous to farmers in destroying numberless in
sects.
We cannot conscientiously close our bre
remarks VI BON some of the most admirabl
birds of our State without speaking of tina
diminutive creature of the genus Trochilina
the Humming-bird, which, although it canno
be pronounced bird OF song is nevertheless
worthy Of high commentator. In gain
upon this bird the first thing which NATURAL
attracts our attention and excites our SUI
prise is the great rapdity Of its wings whe
in motion. Another distinguishable featur
of its powers Of motion is its ability to re
main in one position in the air to consid
cradle length of time. We are inclined t
pronounce this bird as being rather fastidiou
in its tastes, inasmuch as it selects thesweet
of flowers only for its sustenance, and TIL
fact Insufficient to justify us in the bell,
that cpicurianism is its chief delight. An
then as relates To its cornoreal dimensions ,