The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-02-13
Eccentricities of Birds.

is not composing. We are pleased with
the song of the whippoorwill, especially
if no more than two or three are heard at
the same time and are far apart. This
measured music is pleasant, partly on
account of its formality, and yet for this
reason they fix our attention. A song is
not necessary to make the voice of bird
| pleasant. Take the chickadee-his note
| is agreeable, though not measured or con-
| tinued; the call note of this bird is very
animated, from which it gets it's name.
Chickadee-dee-dee is always uttered at
regular intervals of two or three minutes
| by each bird. This bird does not forage
in compact focks, like sparrows and
other granivorous birds, whose food,
consisting of the seeds of grasses, is dis
tributed over almost every field. The
food of the chickadee being of insects and
their eggs and chrysalides, which are
lodged upon the wood and bark of trees,
is not abundant at any one place, and has
to be obtained by diligent search; they
are compelled, therefore, to scatter; like
the woodpeckers, because their food is
| scattered Woodpeckers are much less
noisy than the chickadee; they have not
| so many notes of greeting as the latter;
answer similar purpose. Nature ap-
pears to bestow on birds and animals
| only Just such an amount of language as
their wants require.
The downy woodpecker is almost al
| ways associated with the chickadee; he is
distinguished by his speckled plumage,
his scarlet crown, and his sudden and
rapid fight. This small bird appears,
as it were, a companion of the chicka-
dee. In the season of winter, birds
of like habits have general inclination
to associate, for mutual protection; they
seem to be cheered by hearing the voices
of others around them. The small wood
peckers, the creepers, and the chickadees
have sort of affinity; they keep within
hearing of each other, from social feel
ing, of which they have no less than the
gregarious specimens.
A singular habit of the downy wood
pecker, and one with which all are famil
lar, is that which has gained him the
name of the 'sapsucker.' He bores lit
tie holes just through the bark of the
tree, usually an apple tree, not penetrat-
ing into the wood. These holes form a
complete circle round the branch of the
tree, about half an inch apart. No the
ory has yet been advanced that satisfac-
toray explains the object of ,the bird in
making these perforations. The theory
that they are made for the purpose of
sapsucking, is perhaps the mcstplausible
-one. Admitting this theory, the cause of
their arrangement in circle is still un-
explained. Farmers were formerly dis
posed to consider these sapsuckers in
furious to the health of the trees, but
observations have proved their harmless
ness.
The gregarious habits of certain spe-
oies of birds, and the more solitary hab
its of others, are the necessary conse
quence of their different ways of feeding.
The insect feeders among land birds are
seldom associated in focks; but they are
fond of company, and do not like to be
alone. The granivorous birds, on
the contrary, with few exceptions,
are gregarious. Such are the En-
glish sparrow and bunting. Com
pare, in this respect, the common
robin and the red-winged blackbird. The
robin is exclusively insectivorous; the
fruit he consumes is not his substance,
and he swallows no kind of seed. The
redwing, on the contrary, is omniverous,
and is great consumer of every kind of
grain, Hence robins are never seen in
large or compact focks. The cause of
this difference in their habits is that
robins, on account of the exclusive diet
of grubs and insects, are obliged to for
age sing1y; while blackbirds, who are
voracious of every eatable substance that
lies upon the gronnd, sometimes CLEAN
whole field by going in companies. All
seed eaters do not assemble In compact
focks. The goldfinch, or thistle bird,
and nearly all the fnches, are examples.
Goldfinches are choice and dainty in their
e 4. l. i, Je, =, AL @rNx
the plants that bear them, and take off
{, the shells before they. swallow the kerr
nels. The goldfnch hunts for his cereal
food in 5 the same way as the chicken
hunts for his grubs and insects. The
goldfinch is not an inveterate singer-he
is seldom heard to finish q tune-he does
not devote his entire time to song; nor is
he like the red thrush, sitting for half an
hour on the same branch singing without
cessation One peculiar habit of this
yellow bird (goldtinch) is that the male
bird, after building nest, will peck it to
pieces and build another nest with the
same material in its vicinity. The first
nest is not occupied in any instance, and
the second one sometimes remains va
cant.
It appears to be the received opinion
that the song of bird is disinterested
effort on the part of the male to comfort
his mate while sitting on her nest.
The song certainly produces the desired
effect, but this does not appear to be
the motive of the songster. It is, on the
contrary, an outpouring of his i'm
| patience on account Of her absence, and
an effort on his part to call some other
female to join him. Though the male
bird often takes his turn upon the nest
during incubation. he is impatient while
thus employed, and spends only small
1 part of his time in the discharge of his
duty. Even in procuring food for the
young birds he is not as diligent as his
mate; watch pair of robins when they
i have q brood of young to feed, and it
will be seen the female provides the
greater part of their food watch, also,
q mated pair in a flock of pigeons while
q the female is employed in her maternal
naties, her Lonesome partner resumes
Ame loud cooling that was heard
IS choosing his mate The
shows when some urf
to his call is va3f7