Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-04-14
An American Songster.

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till the final bar is rung out with ez
traordinary force and volnme. Thi
is the characteristic song of the bird
it utters it with untiring zeal through
out the mating season, and it is t.
be heard daily in every woodland o
eastern North America.
Until lately this was supposed tC
be its only song; but, about fourteen
years ago, two naturalists announced
Independently the fact that the ''tea.
Cher song is nothing more than 6
mere call-note, and that at certain
seasons the bird rises into the air fai
above the tops of the forest trees and
here, as he floats on quivering wing
pours forth a loud, sweet lark like
song.
The first time that remember hear
ing the song, it was uttered as q
hymn of gratitude. / had ofteu heard
the "teacher" note of pair of oven
birds in a wood where l daily walk
ed. OF course / knew they had a nest
somewhere near, but failed to find
it until early June, when the young
should be Matched. [ was walking
along the path in this wood, when
suddenly at my feet appeared an over
bird, trailing her bright plumes in the
dust and crawling about me in silent
agony. l stood perfectly still, not a
lite surprised for usually this bird is
noisy when it's nest is approached. In
another instant perceived the other
parent bird, behaving in much the
same way. But, though his voice was
hushed and his featheres bristling
with terror, he was yet making repeat
ed thrusts with his beak at something
A second glance and / made out a
long, sinuous form that was lying
zigzag over the leaves-the glisten-
ing form of serpent: but its head
was hidden under a dome-shaped
mass of twigs that, until now, had
escaped my notice; and then the
browning touch of horror was added,
for this was the nest, and the snake
was about to devour the young l
never saw more pitiful sight than
these poor parent birds in their COM
plete abandon of grief. Their strength
seemed entirely spent. They continu-
ed silent as before, but again and
again assaulted the reptile. 1t could
easily have caught them, as they were
reduced to helplessness by their ter
ror, but it was intent on its younger
prey, and paid no heed to the feeble
attack of the parent-birds reached
down and touched the loathsome
creature, but it did not move, so l
took it by the tail and dragged it out.
The change in its demeanor was won
derful, when it found that it now had
a foeman who could harm it. 1t
dropped a young ovenbird, and wrig
gled and squirmed to free itself. 1t
struck at me savagely, but | held it
so it could not reach me, and present
ly changed my hold to its neck, and
bore it away. The ovenbirds seemed
hardly to realize their escape, being
too deeply stricken to recover at once
Bnt before long, they were caring
for their chilled and terrified brood.
Next evening 1 returned to the
place, and as drew near l heard
above the trees, in the quiet purple
of the twilight, the wild, ecstatic air.
song of the ovenbird-the weird,
mysterious bird-voice the origin of
which was so long puzzle to natu-
ralists. When this vesper-hymn was
over and the musician sailed down
ward, l knew that had heard the
thanksgiving of the grateful bird
whose home my timely coming had
saved from the ravanges of the SER
pent.