Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-24
Gh( 9r&@ press.
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF YER.
lONT-Xuv.
Bird Notes.


philosophers. Nor Is it necessary for I'll
strict scientist working over the bone an
muscle with scalnel and m;oroscoro ,o IA,
va. my !" 'ai
aoout tue shans OIL the poet anu "connl
uration of wndpipe."
II would he strange indeed If Tho greo
,.,.,...e - -,
o'"y VI o'u'e e'eu'ioh wn'ch NOUS ilIe D.
the same tenure as ourselves, has nolhin
but n physical lesson TO impart. To cxplor,
liz s,;,i,n,i hos;s.;, o,, If III, ,,o,,s d,,,;o,
anu HIS huo"ieusc sho"'u component 'h
discoveries OF the naturalist. OF course it i
of no Significance that an occasional note O
bird or animal may be conveniently ex
pressed In human speech. What they sa,
to one, they say no, 10 another, so the eX
preston of their note or character com es t.
be a reelection of the translator Who
would think of converting the song of tn,
canary or nightingale, for instance, into
words or syllaDles. yet it has been done fol-
the latter aud us nigh, be expected, is abou,
as expressive as a similar amount Of Zulu.
YET. setting the song of birds aside, it is
interesting to see if we can catch word ia
their call notes. That the birds have a Ian.
guage or means of communication there can
be little doubt and that each has a cry
of alarm generally understood, any one NAV
observe for himself. | was particularly
struck with this fact as stood one March
morning watching company of Cross
bills pccking at the cones under pine.
Liveryed in their brown and .brck.red suits,
they went about gathering up the seeds
without the least apprehension, when pres
emily party of crows flew over and gave one
of their quick short alarms -hd-hd.ha. The
crossbills started looked about an instant and
all dashed OIL as if whrlwind had taken
them. | knew those black rogucs had told
them to run for their lives and wished they
had minded their business
This mutual brotherhood among many of
the birds in time of danger is very evident
Chippy's sharp voice sets the whole orchrad
astir as puss goes prowling through the grass
below. A lusly call OF the crow will put
every tenant of the wood or grove on the 9hi-
vige. The "Tyrant" is ever.rcady to d. battle
with the snake who shows hostile intentions
against the fedglngs of a neighbor. What
angry demonstrations will the birds some
times make when the unpopular face of Mis-.
ter Owl is discovered in his hidng-place, or
when the hawk hovers near, or the egg
robbing crow becomes too familiar. Avaunt |,
Thief, Small birds 10 the cover cries the
king bird us he gets bis scalpng.knfc in or
der, and SO the word is passed around, often
Just in the nick of time.
The song of birds is said TO express either
love or happiness, and as might tc expected
birds and poets Sing best in sprinr.tine' the
season of romance. After the prrIod of in
cubation when the Young must be fed. and
during the long, trivial days of summer,
there is an evident falling off In the voices of
the feathered choir
Our evening birds are not songsters as a
rule, though many sing their best on the
a or,
night as they awake from their dreams. The
paiuted.bunting or 'nonparcil," Gagged
Florideep bird has this latter habit to ner.
lection. But the English nightingale is said
to sing only at eve, as if, writer observes,
il was conscious of ITS mowers md disdained
TO minple lis voice with Thai of the VULGAR
crowd. The genius of our twilight is The
nigbthawk, whose boop,iuo Supplements his
oit-repeated lisp, and later when the bat can
safely come abroad. the wbippoorwill begins
his mono,opous serenadc.
MANY birds will sinr when suddenly
aroused rs if IN defiance as some whistle 10
keen their courage I'm, II only take, n little
noise TO start the osSble of The turkey mr. The
voice of the canary. Ara,n' keen the latter
in the dnrI, and he is silent Int hang his
Gage in the door and he bursts into an exstacv
of song. One mid. summer evening when ali
was still heard robin suddenly nine M.
startled by The shrill whistle OF a locomo
tive.
Goodrich tells an anecdo.e of Buttons
servant. who slcpt in the turr,t of II castle.
The latter heard an owl cxclalm one night
upoonno noonoo. ajme. hcmp. edmc."
Thinking he was called, he said WHO are
Won there below NV names Peter, not
Edmc. The rollickipg humor. of the bobolink
has had many interpretations. Here is one
a,tribu ed 10 the "schoolboy." bob olink,
hob. o-link. Tom Denny, Tom Denny, come
and nav me the two and Il half pence you
Tom Denny. Tom Denny sho, tshe, tsh,
tsb tsbo y
NolHihg SceIiis NY .ie uoI au.
cail tsevn' mt TIT. and cheering notes coming
through the rain have message for every
attentive ear, ,ro., ,1e,t,,.. ~, eliza,
aS ,ha s,,,rJv ,;Jmons,. l,e,s,ing The
winters storm ; the impa'icn, scream Of the
jay and his metallic Wnh-t sounding with
the resonance Of an axe against an ICY 'rec
the harsh gliiturais OF the null'a'ch the
"honklns OF 'he migratory geese. Inc
April call oil lhe w axe up or Hicker pro-
claiming the new reign Is no less character
istic IMAM inc iarredching note OF inc
lark porhe up lroiii tne green sWaru vi the
meadow-y ,S m-n,.s-;e,', IT,, FROM the
lake comes 'ile ueuionaic NiuRh Oh inc ioon,
the yelling OF me gus heard miles away Ger
tne water rom the "oous .he ciear hotes
OF the VeerY anu the a;ceuulus sGale ol Tue
goiueh. croMucu utcentor rom uush any
brake inc voice OF lne e!Apnn,ic chewink
dshVered WIZ iiirt oil TAI, Inc cat-cyed
thrashe' OF Drown-thrhsh scolds and
chn,Te'S US you approach MS hauh,s' pul inc
Eo,u-hhch says IN very pam anu pialhtive
Voice-p2,tce, 'e' "'eW oe oe' oe'oe, "'Meh'oe,
pohce, po1'ee
ehi""e'-e"i', Nhae'u'a peiaseica
stepM'
The duskv SCOT -emhro,yr.d form of IN,
''O '"' VI ''''
swirl, seen Summing inc earlh or gYrating II