The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-04-07
Birds Of Winter.

There are no more winsome guests
in winter than the graceful little snow
rds. What beautiful, perfec -ly-tin-
ished pieces of Nature 5 workmanship
they arei How intense is the luster of
Their tiny black eyes! What vivid
ray of intelligence darts from those
electric life-centersi All birds impress
us with keen sense of their abounding
vitality: but the snOw-bird is one OF
those in which we recognize q some
thing closely akin to IN acutely-sensi-
tive, delicatel y-organjZeL human being.
There IS dreamy suggestion o. poetic
beauty about the fairy-.ike little Great
ures. The pure ivory whitcness OF
their slender bill, so daint;ly turned. so
smoothly polished. translucent and
pinky in the sunlight, IS unique mark
of aristocratic dist notion.
OF different race from these mild
and gentle pets are the pugnacious En-
glish sparrows. VINO battle SO tercely
over the possession OF bigger crumb
or fuller grain. They are of the earth,
earthly; and their gatherings, their
seedlings and squabbles are quite as
commonplace as those of some of their
human brothers. Crowding to the
feeding ground in noisy flocks, they
settle down conten5edly to the repast,
each fluffy little ball of feathers strong
ly relieved against the snow, then riS-
ing with many fiutterings and chirp-
ings they circle merrify in the welcome
CLEANS OF winter sunshine, leaving the
snowy surface just trodden SO diligent-
| ly by them covered with an intricate
pattern of delicate network. the mark
ings made by those slender but busy lit
tie feet of theirs.
The chicadee, or titmouse, that tiny
| bird whose CHEEKY. courage in braving
| the rigorS of our winter Emerson has
| shown forth in the crystal mirror of his
verse, is our occasional guest at this
season. In his thick plumage of gray
and black, relieved with white, so sug-
| gestive in its color and texture of the
turs worn by some Arctic explorer, he
bravely makes mis- way through the
snowy woods, perching now and again,
while his merry note rings forth no un-
meaning challenge to all the powers of
the air that wait in the train of old win
ter and do his bidding. Ice, frost,
snow, sleet. hail, rime, he. cheerfully
| meets them all undaunted. Whether
the storm cloud darkens the air w tn
smothering flakes, or whether the spirit
4
and whose grasp is death, walks abroad,
the radiant heart of the chicadee beats
unchilled and his clear note still sounds
on in triumph of gayety. What fiery
| spark of vitality burns in the breast OF
this least of creatures!
l. "Here moves this atom in full breath.
Hurting defiance at vast DEATH
But passing from the chicadee to
another bird of the same race, the
downy woodpecker, we can but pay
homage in our strongest terms of adj
miration to so exquisite q creature, an
incarnation of natures most dainty and
luxurious mood. Ny lord is assurediy
one of the darlings of luxury. The ad.
iective downy, which descriptive science
has applied to him, exactly suggests
the texture and gloss of his wonderful
plumage. This prince of the wood
peckers rarely condescends to display
his royal robes of velvet and ermine-
velvet of the richest, jettiest die, er
mine of the purest, intensest whitenes;
in the plebeian precincts of our door
yards; but on some damp November
morning you may hear his high, insist
ent, repeated note, and, glancing out
you will soon discover this feathereC
aristocrat fluttering about with an as
sured air of domination among the leaf
less branches, while he taps the
bark with his powerful bill, aftel
the characteristic manner OF his
race. He is scarcely larger thar
arobin, though his white plumage en-.
hances his apparent size; and his mot
tied markings even suggest something
as familiar as the feathers of the silver
spangIed Poland fowls, but no robin
much less domestic fowl, ever bore
himself with the lordly ease of this free
creature of the woods. You may come
quite near him; he hardly deigns t.
notice your approach; nor shows any
more fear of you than of the small birds
who gather in humble admiration
around the superb stranger, or hur
riedly retire before his imposing pres
ence. Fresh from the solitude of tht
deep woods, he knows no law but hi
: own regal will, no domain other thai
that which he claims by hereditar,
right. When you have succeeded il
! prevailing upon this royal wanderer t.
: accept your poor hospitality, you fee
!, as deeply honored as did any humbl
sdherent of the exiled Stuart, whel
that monarch graciously supped wit
= his loyal retainer. Providence If
| IL Journal