Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-06-16
TIE EARLY nsnDs ruAr SING.


Oar spring Visitors.
New York Graphic: It is no wonder
that the birds have abscntcd themselves
until 50 late in the year. Inhospitality
las been The churlish law of all ont of
doors. 4 strol!cr's notebook gives some
items Of interest as TO the n~eigbborhood
whereabouts Of some feathcrcd visitors.
In the lower Hudson valley. from New
Years unit! the middle of February,
there was a noticeable absence Of birds.
Even the rocky dclls, depths and wooded
lawns of our Central park have been al
most silent long after the usual date for
the twittercrs to appear. The robins and
blue birds this past season abandoned
their usual haunts. Even the chickadees,
blue jays and w~oodpcckcrs have been
seldom seen. The snO birds, little flut
terors that herald The coming spring,
alone have heldtheir place. These storm
deticrs are also found in this latitude both
in spring and autumn.
The first week in Marcia fairly pleas
one-was noticeable along The hudson
for the birds and their song ,oacCrts. All
''.h NAil w anu Alkt eIlII~
rows, grass fhches being the chief solos
in The orchcstra-uuti the blizzard came.
Then they scattered. taking refuge wher-
ever shelter was possible. only to reap
pear, such as do not perish, 10 sing jubi-
lantly in spite Of snow, ice and bitter
wind. The first migrants seen i'm the
neighhorhood OF Yonkers and above were
the brown little house wren, and the cock
robin began his mellow coping mate song.
This was during the last week Of Febru-
airy. "A solitary %goldfnch. that usually
in large ilocks, associated with pine
fnches and sparrows, was heard carol
ling gniiy on the last days of that month.
Male starlings or me red shouldered
b'ackbifds took a look at the valley, but
did not remain Il great while. These we're
the male birds on "a scouting expedition
for nesting camps; the female starlings
have recently arrived. The swamp places
are oil alive with them now.
After the great storm, however, themi-
began to arrive from Their haunts.
A %reconoitering party Of Canada rcdbills
were carly visitors. They remained
from the middle till the last week in
and then the Phoebe bird was
heard. Field larks, woodpeckers, wild
pigeons. chickadees, fox spaIrows and ali
The various clans Of that ilk were heard
the thickets and trees with vocal
April birds have been slow in
but the observer of their habits
and the lovers of their music can see amp
hear them OF all SIDES. An early morn
ing walk in Central Park, especially the
upper part, will repay the lover Ct birds
10 the full.
The great bird center Of the United
States is New Jersey. 1T is the meeting
place of all of the migratory tribes. The
finest bird singer in the world, according
10 Miller Hagcrman, is The American
knocking bird, making the woods vocal
by moonlight. Our poet says OF him
Other birds have talents. The hooking
bird has genius, In day time it is "A jester,
but at night, when the low plant is on it.,
it is an unrivalled singer. 1T PUSHES up
one hundred feet in the air, and posing,
pours out lis whole soul in the most i'm
FASHIONED song until, az il expiring with
ecstacy, it falls down into the
and pants and tremblcs in faint
quivers OF melody"
The mocking bird is a soprano sopra
cuto, the wood thrush is a splendid So
prano, the skylark a basso profnndo, the
has "A fine note like a either, the
sounds like a violin, the dear little
wren has q thin, clear note, and the wax
bird lisps most decidedly. The Lluebird
is always trying another note, and never
quite succeeds. The hermit thrush is the
priest-the mystic of the thicket.
Hagerman has attempted to ex-
press this when he sung:
There sounded out in accents sweet and clear.
And tremulons and lush,
II a seraphim o'ersaDg It's sphere,
The 500 Of the thrush.
Ip the cool cedar-harkl That shake
That wondrous phrase OF sound;
Now strung with heaven-skilled harps ono'
now a rill
or water underground.
An ~ecstacy that made two worlds stand still,
At pathos so profound.
Oh! "IIoly, holy, holy swelled the strain,
And from each gushing tree
Unnumbered birds echoed the grand refrain,
ave all do worship Thee"
that great hymn swelled through the tenn
Pies fame
In solemn iitany.'
Let the lover of birds shake Off the late
slumber and bctake himself to the park
or cross the North river and listen to the
song Of birds when the sunrise gold is
just touching the morning gray and the
wonderful pale, lucent color tones of the
AN