Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-05-22
ANNAPOLIS, MD. THURSDAY EVENING. MAY %, 1890.


One OF the most familiar OF the truly
forest songs OF our country is the pecu-
liar crescendo chant OF the ovenbird, or
golden-crowned thrush. 1t sounds like
the 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 extraordinary force and
volume. This is the characteristic song
OF the bird it utters it with untiriAg
zeal throughout the mating season, and
it is to be heard daily in every woodland
of North America.
Until lately this was supposed to be
Its only song, bat about fourteen years
ago, two naturalists announced inde-
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. l had often heard tho
g
wood whore Idaily walked. OF course
] knew they had anest somewhere near,
but failed to find it until early ia June,
when the young should have Matched.
was walking along the path In the wood,
one afternoon. when 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 a little surprised: fer
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 lfis
voice was hushed and his feathers brist-
ling with terror, he was yet making re-
peated thrusts with his beak at sone-
thing. A second glance, and made out
long, sinuous form that was lying zig
gag over the leaves-the glistening form
of a serpent, but its head was hidden
under dome-shaped mass Of twigs that,
until now, had escaped my notice and
then the crowning touch of horror was
the nest, and the snake was about to de-
YOUR the youngl never saw q moro
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 assaiIed the reptile. It could
easily have caught them, as they were
reduced to helplessness by their terror,
but IL was intent on It's younger prey,
and paid no heed to the feeble attack OF
the parent birds / reached down and
touched the loathsome creature, but IL
did not move, SO I.took 1t by the tall and
dragged It out The change of Its de-
meanor was wonderful when It found
that il now had foeman who could
harm it. It dropped the young oven
bird, and wiggled and squirmed to FREQ
itself. It struck at me savagely, but
held 1t so 1t could not reach me, and
presently changed my hold to its neck,
and 80 bore it away. The ovenbirds
seemed hardly to realize their escape,
being too deeply stricken 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 air-song 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 I had heard the
Thanksgiving of the grateful bird, whose
home my timely coming had saved from
the ravages Of the serpent Finest E.
Thompson. in St Nicholas.