Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-06-08
OH 9'r&e press.
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF yER-
MONT-yII.



Bird Haunts.
When fcllow.walker once asked
Thoreau, where he looked for Indian arrow
head, he replied, everywhere" and there
upon stopped forward and picked one from
the ground ard SO it is in general with the
birds. The sharp eye detects them in every
location in the town, the field, upon the
mountains ragged side and lonely summit
in the low, quaking marsh and tangled
hickct, on the ground, in the air and water
and amid the dense and varied foliage OF the
trees.
More than half the birds and all the we'll
known species dwell within our very midst
on the outskirts of the clearings. People
who 90 to the solitudcs of the forest in ex-
pcctaton of seeing many birds arc invariably
disappointed 1t is chiefly the robber-jays
and crows, the birds of prey who wear the
curse of Cain, and the anchorites of the
fcathcrcd tribe that seek this seclusion. You
can study ornthology more successfully in
your own yard thun in the Maine woods.
Yet each locality is marked by its peculiar
denzcns, the unequal distribution being the
noticeable feature in this connection. Let
the observer of birds but glance at the land
scape, and he will point 10 the haunts of Ger.
tain species us unerringly as the botanist
will discover to you the abodcs OF particular
plants Wind and wave and all the higher
animals assist in disseminating the latter,
willie the members Of the feathered creation
find home in haunts of their own choos-
ing. ...-
The bird-songs, with which the majority
are acquainted come from the familiar artists
of the town and its surroundings among
which the Robin. the Socialis, alias
Chpping-sparrow, the Orioles, the Song
sparrow and some of the warblers
deserve the first mention. As you leave the
orchards, the general chorus diminishes and
the silence increases us YOU penetrate the
forest. You pass among the unrccognlzed,
where the music is of a new and often divlner
order.
Invariably find the lndigo-bird and Chest
nut-sided warbler In dry open woodlands
aud the pendant finely-wrought nests OF the
arccnlcts, particularly the Redeye, on the
hem of the forest and usually in the lower
branches of the maple. The falling OF the
leaves reveals these deserted structures over
hanging the road in Autumn. Penetrate the
wood farther and YOU may find the rarer men,
bers of the thrush family Here on some high
ridge nests the lone whippoorwill singing to
might and echo," and the notes of the
wood pewee $50 faint, so far and yet SO
near" steal through the ranks OF the sacred
pirc, the beech and homlock.
Amid the low shrubbery skirting the
stream you will not search in vain for many
of the warblers, and rarer birds of sother
species. In neighboring orchard the saucy
king-brd or tyrant-iycatcher builds his
well-made nest which his surveillance rem
dels doubly secure from bird or beast. In
The fields and pastures many sparrows or
1inches find suitable retirement. Up the
bushy hillside dwels the "thrashcr" or
brown thrush, and the mysterious cuckoo
hugs her eggs as you approach the nest,
where at evening you may hear the mellow
notes of the thrushes winding up from the
wood and the evening hymn Of the vesper-
sparrow.
1t is not likely that the early settlers of our
county were cheered by the presence OF
such Il vast company of birds as people the
woods and groves at the present day. Mans
coming was favorable to their increase, while
many animals, on the contrary, have dis
appeared. They come out OF the woods to
his ccarings for food protection and COM
panionship. In older countries, as England,
the birds are even more numerous than in
the New World.
A noteworthy fact in connection with the
spring birds is the early arrival of the males.
They are the pioneers, always coming few
days in advance Of the other sex, and prob
ably select building site in view of the
mot impossible She" which the shady
leaves of destiny" still enfold. No so, how
ever, with the fish, the reptile and the in
sect. In each of these departments OF lille,
the superiority of size and balance of power
is vested in the female, but as we ascend the
animal scale the male comes TO the front.
Among the birds this difference is very
marked, the male cxcelllng in point of size,
in quality of voice, and brilliancy OF
plumage. Marked instances are seen in the
case of the rcd-winged startling, the indigo
bird, and the scarlet ,anager. To countcract
the greater exposure of the males, an excess
of the birds is created in one instance or the
female is subjected to greater exposure, as
shallow nest, in the other.
June is the month in which the student OF
orni!hology will reap his richest harvest The
birGs are all now in full song and plumage
and rearing their young, at which period their
traits are most marked and best studied.
Birds are not always found at home, but
the sharp eye will detect many which the
ordinary observer passes unnoticed. Says q
well-known writer, you must have the bird
in your heart if you would find 1t in the
bush.
The Thrushes.
Six members Of this family pass portion
of the year in Vermont, which may also have
infroquent visits from one or two others
All perform an important service tc
the hush andman, their sphere of labor being
the surface of the ground, where they arc
seen hopping about in their ceaseless search
for worms, grubs and other insects. A WALL
to the May-woods will bring you to thu
hauns of several members of this family
The robin who earlya comes to your garden
for his prey, taking off the great brown
June-bug in his beak, and later for straw
berries, seeking to build his house over tht
very door of your own, claims sort of {
right of-way and is the most familiar ant
abundant of his tribe.
The vecry (Turdus fusccscens, Stcph.
AS you reach the edge of the neares
woodland, tawny, rufous-colored bird fit
quickly past, allighting on a dead stumI
barely visible. Sit close if you would SCI
this fellow to better advantage. His call,
quot, Qu-oit, quot, delivered slowly a
first, grows nearer as II comes with swelling
emphasis upon the ear. lie also has a GU
riosiiy to observe you, and now cautiously
approaches, taking his perch upon a low
bush near at hand. This is Wilson's thrush
or the Vecry, which, excepting the robin IL
the cOmmonest thrush in the State. In size
he ITALICS well with the cow-bunting, andl
altogether pale faced bird, typical product
of the forest where the sun hardly pene
trates. His breast is yellowlsh with Sigh