Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-06-14
An American Songster.

An American Songster.
One Of the most familiar of the f.. "
forest songs of our country is tn" GU
liar crescendo chant of the oveuI.l J. or
goI,Icn crowned thrush. 1t sound, like
Tn" repetition of the word teacher,
eight or ten times in succession, begun
in whisper, but with added emphasis
at each repetition, till the final bar is
rung out with exit aordinary force and
volume. This is the characteristic song
of the bird ; it utters it with untirlng
zeal throughout the mating season, and
it is to be heard daily in every woodland
of North America.
Until lately this was supposed to DO
its only song, but about fourteen years
ago, two naturallsts announced indie
pendently the fact that the teacher"
song is nothing more than mere call
note, and that at certain seasons the bird
rises into the air far above the tops of
the forest trees and there, as he floats on
quivering wing, pours forth a loud,
sweet lark like song,
The first time that | remember hearing
the song, it was uttered as a hymn OF
gratitude. | had often heard the
teacher" note of pair of overbirds in
Il wood where daily walked. OF course
knew they had lest somewhere near,
but ! failed to find 1t until early in June,
when the young Should have Matched. l
WAS walking along the path in The wood,
one afternoon, WI IN suddenly at my
feet appeared an Overbird, trailing her
bright plumes in the dust and crawling
about me in silent agony. | stood per-
fectly still, not little surprised : for
usually this bird is noisy when its nest
is approached. In another instant per-
ceived the other parent bird behaving in
much the same Way. But, though his
voice was hrshed and his feathers briSt-
ling with terror, he was yet making re-
peated thrusts with his beak at some
thing. A second glance and | made out
long, sinuous form that was lying zig
gag over the leaves-the glistening form
of serpent, but its head was hidden
under dome-shapei mass of twigs that,
until now, had escaped my notice; and
then the browning touch of horror was
the nest, and the SHAKE was about to de-
YOUR the young! | never saw a more
pitiful sight than these poor parent birds
in their complete abandon of grief. Their
strength seemed entirely spent They
continued silent as before, but again and
again assailed the reptile. 1t could
easily have caught them, as they We're
reduced to helpless less by their terror,
but it was intent on its younger prey,
and paid no heed to the feeble attack of
the parent birds. l reached down and
touched the loaths ne creature, but it
did not move, so | took it by the tail and
dragged it out. The change of its de-
mean or was wonderful when it found
that it now had a foeman who could
harm it. 1t dropped the young oven
bird, and wiggled and squirmed to free
itself. 1t struck at me savagely, but
held it so it could not reach me, and
presently changed my hold to its neck,
and so bore it away. The ovenbirds
seemed hardly to realize their escape,
being too deeply str.,Hen to recover at
once. But before long, they were car
ing for their chilled and terrified brood.
Next evening returned to the place,
and as drew near | heard above the
trees, in the quiet purple of the twilight,
the wild eCstatic airsong of the oven
bird-the weird, mysterious bird voice,
the origin of which was SO long puzzle
to naturalists. When this vesper hymn
was over and the musician sailed down.
ward, | knew that l had heard the
thanksgiving of the grateful bird, whose
home my timely coming had saved from
the ravages of the serpent, Ernest E.
Thompson, in st. Nicholas.