Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-26

CT clad beneath in white, and all day long, aye, and even into the night, they utter with | scarcely trace of variation in their tones, ''Quank, quank-tat- -a-tat." Be it stormy, be it clear, they care not. The mercury may creep to zero-they will only creep more l rapidly, and going the rounds of the forest trees they never stop to ask if it is tiresome but greet you ss they did the first man who wintered in America with a nasal "Quank- quank--tat-a-tat," all of which no ornitholo- gist has as yet been able to interpret. The pretty brown tree-creeper. Curious grub hunter of two continents. He chat ters alike to European and American; great traveller and yet happy in the sparse woods of central New Jersey. Like the kinglets, he too will pause in his mad career and sing exquisitely Like all the others that 1 have mentioned, no severity of the weather seems to affect him, and until the snow succeeds in covering our trees to the very tops the brave tree-creeper is sure of his living. saw them on the 9th of this month, when the outer world was chaos of driving snow and uninviting ice-clad branches. Was it seeking shelter, downcast and forlorn? Not bit of itI It clung to the rough bark of @ cherry tree and out whistled the wind screeching in the bare branches overhead. Tha Carolina wren Not so ready to face cutting north wind yet never a coward. Give him ghost of a chance and he'll sing such songs in January
 
 charm the world in June.
 The winter wren, shy, wood haunting, thlcket loving, silent; and so to many even though often abroad, unseen. Yet his ac- quaintance is well worth making and his pleasant ways cause you to forget that now it is dreary winter. He only chirps to be sure, but hearty chirp is ever better than soulless song or senseless chatter
 The horned larls. Not one but many Not meagre dozen, but hundred and never in the woods, but out in the open fields You must tramp knee deep in snow to find them. Never mind; hunt them up. See them rise, sail, sink, dive into drift disappear and as suddenly reappear as one bird, and the labor of the search will prove as nothing, So great has been your reward
 The cedar bird Trim as dandy. Neat as shining pin. Said to die of shame if it's plumage be soiled. Always in the company of it's kind; ever regardless of all strangers. Silent when at rest; lisping sibilant plaint when forced to fly. Never musical; seldom entertaining. I would gladly become an en- thusiast in it's praises could I learn it's meri its. I fear they are but feather deep. Stil I am thankful that they bear me out in my assertion that bird1ess winter is mere fig nent of the imagination.
 The shrike. A cruel monster; the foe of every songster in the land. A bird that sug gests an essay-not phrase. Much as I hate him I ave one word in his favor. His presence proves that other birds abound The slrike hates an uncertainty and keeps well stocked larder ever before him. Is he in tall tree: The sparrows throng the tan gled smila1 at its base. Surly his counte- nance as an angry hawk; yet at times it lightens up; he almost looks gentle and es- says to sing. It is poor attempt and none would pause a second time to listen.
 And now we come to long list of finches. All the world knows that in winter we have snow birds, but do they know such of other sparrows of onr s'much be-sparrowed country?' If one does not persist in hug ging the steve all winter there is fair chance for his seeing pine grosbsak, pur- pie finch two beautiful crossbills, red poll linnet, pine finch, the yellow thistle bird, the white snow bunting, the Lapland long spur.
 Let me stop here moment Except the last, you will never see a single bird If you find one you will find dozen, hun dred; yes, sometimes half a thousand Again every field will have it's bay-winged bunting; the tall weeds along the fences, the white-throats; the edges of the wood, the white-crowned sparrow. Escape, if you can, the myriads of tree sparrows; often there will finger the familiar ''chippy.7' Song sparrows brave our coldest weather; even it's cousin of the marshes often remains. The snow birds need but be named; the foxie sparrow claims attention always. the head and front of all his tribe, and the long list closes with the acknowledged leader of the winter choir, the brave and brilliant cardinal.
 These winter birds, bear in mind, and most charming songsters. think that eve " winter even others may be found; some times 1 know they may. Do you not bear me out as to numberss I have seen a cloud of innets. No summer birds come to us as do the tree sparrows; and where shall we go to hear sweeter bird notes than when the whfte-throat mounts leahess shrub and warbles ill the frosty air
 "Ah me. Ah me-
 All day, whiting, whittling whiting
 And are there more winter birds? Can We omit the COW bird with it's gurgling rattle; the meadow lark, that hidden aloft cries, II see you-you can't see me;' the purple :srakle ever hoarse from over1nuch chatter ing; the noisy but never tiresome red wingsa The songs of them all have echoed over the icy meadows within a week. Again. king fisher is no stranger in the land even st Christmas, and his harsh cry aecords we'll with the rattle of chatting, icy branches. Well he knows the treaeherous spring holes in the meadows where frost falls in it's hand iwork and minnows finger until ''April un- locks the icy rill." Five, perhaps six, wood peckers are also to be found, and while they have nothing to say, or next to nothing at this time, they are so noisy at their work of tapping trees that we hear them often when they elude our search. Lastly in steps the chattering jay, quiek-witted cousin to the cunning crows; and even after these are long abed through the deep Iecesses of some lone ly woods there comes the moaning vail of mourning doves.
 Let me recapitulate. An ordinary half mile stroll beyond the city limits may enable you to see forty odd species of birds-possi- bly, fifty. Fully onehalf of them will be in 6ocks. A score perhaps of purple fnches, linnets almost sand upon the seashore. Many will cluster in the thick-set cedars; others will spread over the weedy fields; many will turk in the angles of a zigzag fence; others come boldly to the front and bid you welcome.
 Divide these many birds in another man ner and we will find that fully or nearly one- half are admirable songsters. None are lazy, moping noodles, as are many summer birds when the noontide heat is tropical, but every feather of them awake, alive, ready for fight or fun, and bubbling over with melody or loquaeity.
 Do you really think, then, January iubi- lee myth? Yesterday was fair specimen of midwinter weather, with the temperature as low as ten degrees and never above twen- ty degrees-that is, take the whole range of the fields and woods; but then, scattered abont were warmer sheltered hooks, and such are the concert halls affected by our winter songsters. One doesn't buy ticket for the roof, the lightning rod or rim of the chimney when he goes to the opera. Why look for birds, then, the north side of hill? I found them yesterday on a sunny slope, and tarrying a bit, I heard theml The clear call of the crested tit opened the con- cert. The abundant tree sparrows twittered, birds chirped, cardinal performed an inim- itable solo, and to all the downy woodpecker was alike attentive and drummed a tuneful