National Republican., 1884-05-07
MAKING LOVE IN MIpA1R.
Flirting with Feathers-A snndpipcr's
Ruso-A Bird That Plays the Gcntle-

man.
lover of birds writes from Northampton,
Mass, as follows / saw beautiful sight in
the meadows the other morning-one of the
very few bright genial days that this cold
spring has vouchsafed US. l was strolling
about, armed with gun in case anything
raro appeared but doing most of my shooting
with my eyes, which are u naturalis's
most effective weapons, when l saw two
marsh hawks coming up the valley,
joyously breasting tho quiet wind which
blew from tho northward. One was
Of uniform ashy blue color which garb
samong this species Is confined to the older
males, and tho other was of rich chocolate,
black and rcd, with markings of white about
the tail, n dccorous and beautiful female.
Lovers they evidently were, perhaps enjoying
their honeymoon, or perhaps just preparing
for 1t, and full of the rapture which comes
both to birds and men during the roso.colored
| period. At any rate, tho malo was full of
| galantry, and his mato full OF responsive
moss, and their amiablc cOurting in midair
was tho most delightful thing to witness that
my fifteen years Of study Of bird life has
shown me.
Tho male would rise high in tho air above
| tho female, sweeping in broad and graceful
circles, with quick firtings of his tail, as
speaking as tho opening and shutting of q
Spanish woman's fan, and then, with closed
wings falling like bolt through tho air
below her, aud raising again beside her with
q long and waving motion. Tho female
meanwhile evadod and pursued him, and
both full of play. Then the female would
speed away like lightning, with the male in
hot pursuit, aud loud in his querulous and
musical screaming and then they would
come together and fly side by side, rising aud
falling, flying straightforward and sidewse
like schoolboy's kite, and indulging in a
hundred graceful evolutions which are as
indescribable as they wore beautiful. They
flew close by mo as ! lay on tho grass in
little hollow. Such scones seem to mo to
bring the lives Of mon and animals into very
close relationship.
An interesting thing happened to me to-day,
although it was nothing novel in my ex-
| pcrience. | was walking through sandy
bit of ground near the river, hoping to catch
n duck or two mapping in the weeds under
tho bank, when up from my very feet jumped
q sandpiper bird SO dreadfully crippled
that it was nothing short of a miracle that it
lived. One wing utterly refused to perform
its office, having evidently been broken at
tho shoulder; one leg had also apparently
been shattered; the creatures feathers stood
out every way, and, altogether, more miser-
able and pitiful fowl was never seen. 1t
under my fect, and huttored and
staggered painfully away before me.
1t tumblcd and rolled about in fash
ion calculated at once to excite all mans
sympathy, and full determination to run
and catch it, Animated by these emotions.
and particularly the latter, set out Mt once
in pursuit, dropping my cap however, as
did so, for reason that will hereafter ap-
pear After o step or two the bird lay as il
wholly exhausted, but as ] put out my hand
to take it it gathered a little strength, and
feebly eyaded my grasp; followed, and again
essayed to capture it, but again missed it by q
foot or two, and this operation, with like re-
suit, was repeated dozen times, until, at last
when / had chased the sandpiper about q
dozen rods it pulled itself together, calculated
"peet- week" in a moCking tono a number Of
times, aud flew away ymiraculously recovered
as sound and lusty bird as ever was known
l drew bead upon it with my gun to show il
how easily | could have paid it for its cheat
if had had desire to do so, and then went
back to pick up my cap. This done, looked
carefully about tho ground, and, as l OK
pected, found nest scooped out in the sand
with five olive colored, mottled eggs in it
So / compromised by taking the eggs, vel
knowing that as many more would be laiC
within week, and went away, pluming my
self that this old trick had grown too thread
bare to take me in at this late day.
. Nearly all our earth-building birds are ac
quainted with this artfce, and have hat
them all attempt to play II on me-sand
pipers, sparrows, and tho golden-crowne,
thrush, or oven bird. This latter species
however, acts with more dignity in the mat
ter. He is above resorting to the deceit o
simulated lamoness, and will not futter ant
. thrash about on the ground as his les
scrupulous cousins do. When he sees yol
D coming through the woods he crawls nimbl.
d. out of his nest and slIulks along behint
bushes and leaves until he gets some distanc
away from his treasures; then he appear
in conspicuous place and sedately ant
l quietly walks along before you. looking ovel
, his shoulder, and inviting you to come up ant
5 take him, as being bird who somehow neve
D found use for his wings, and to whom tn
science of flying is unknown. When you sc
Y the bird thus conducting himself, all you hav
A to do is to note carefully the direction 4
which he is travelling, then walk back in
straight line, and, il you look carefully, yo
! will find the nest somewhere within three o
: four rods of where the bird appeared. If yol
;, have any respect for gentlemanly department,
; however, you will not take more than half o
the eggs of this quiet, composed, and digni
fed oven bird.
t The fields and woods are now filling IL
:, rapidly with the feathered tribes, some vari
!. cites preparing to spend the summer with us
others stopping only for a day or two, an
; then passing on to homes further north. Thi
!, annual migration is to me always an amazin
thing, and continually presents new point
+ for study and perplexity. Here, one day, til
= = meadows and the air above the town will no
s confess to q single swallow, and the next da
l. there are thousands OF them, and the same
\ true of the bobolinks. In tho autumn, ais,
the air swarms with swallows as the sun goe
down in the evening and the next morning.
swallows were worth thousand dollar
II apiece you couldn't find feather of one
And both in spring and autumn the times {
coming and going fall upon almost exactl
the same days, while friend of mine, VIII
has studied birds longer than | have, say
= that he never needs calendar to tell whe
the 18th of May comes, lie determines tn
= point by going out and listening for the bobC
= links which, as he atiirms, always appear o
=. ~. that date, and on no other. | myself hav
never noticed such accuracy. but | kno'
that the various species reach here about Eh
'' same day every season.
Quite as curious as tho arrival and depart
=, ure of the birds is their distribution fO
g breeding. Why is it, eau any one tell, tina
- song sparrows, chipping sparrows, field spar
i rows, and numberless other sparrows nest i
o our pastures and orchards, while the white
! throated sparrOws, fOX-COlorod sparrows, tire
= sparrows, and other varieties go much fur
q ther north? And why cannot tho olive
!. backed and hermit thrushes initiate tlewoo
s. and song thrushes, and breed as well here
), in Vermont and Canada? And II the chest
y nut-sidod, yellow, and black throated gree
|. WARRIORS find comfortable summer home
!. here, why do not also the blue, yellow
s, backed. black and -yellOW and black -thrOate