Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-06-01

ing about with the utmost assurance
nd most confidingly We know tbe
title fellows in chestnut cap, his back
striped with black, bay and
srayish brown-little chipping sparrow.
IN a moment his mate will appear from
he tiny hOrSehair nest III the climbing
loneySuckle, where she has been feed
ng her fedglings And now, as our
lhehd, the farmer, hoes the garden
weeds while waiting for his breakfast,
he receives another welcome from the
appletree branch. This time the notes
are DIS bright as the bird that sings them
ID gorgeous black and orange oriole
Golden Robin, but his continual ''tu-
wee, tu-Wee,' though clear and bright.
will grow TO be monotonous
Topnot beauty, the brown cellar bird
Is taking an inventory in the cherry
tree, He has lost his appetite for
cedar seeds and is anXiously waiting
till the vherries shall ripen. His con
science does not trouble him, for does
he not swallow the harmful bugs and
worms and caterMllars and take his
pay in cherries? l am afraid he is
Irif1e vain of the black velvet trim
mlngS about his head, and the wing
quilts waXed with red at the tips, but
surely he cannot be very proud of mis-
Wheezy whistle. Near by stands the
apple tree but where is the green fruit
that should be ripening upon it! Ask
the bird with the beautiful crimson cap
(the breast and beak ii crimson, too
mixed with dusty streaks), just uois-
ing on one of the limbs, and he will
confess, that he with his mate, Mrs.
Purple + nch, built Their neso in III
orchard that they might feed upon the
blossoms.
Five brown mites, song sparrows,
from the ridge-pole shout out their
Three, three, thre-e-e-e-e-e," just as a
glorious melody is heard. Is it the
song OF the robin? No, for the notes
are richer and clearer, and the farmer
looks quickely toward the thick shrub
berry to see his old friend, as a rose
breasted groSbeak. He is as large as
robin, but is black above and white
underneath with white bars across
his wings and a rose spot on his breast.
Away back in the Shubbery, Mrs. eros
beak, in plain dress-black and brown,
striped above and white beloW-iS, keep
ing the house and guarding the nest
lings. Pretty gOld-tinch thistle Bird
with black cap, tail and wings, and
bright yellow body, is safe in his home
on the fruit trees. He was tired of
iCt1 l.;
food, and glad to get back to the
orchard again. When you hear his
voice, you will think a canary is singing.
Breakfast over and the cornfield
weeds are waiting. Listen! Is it song
sparrow that we hear? The notes are a
little SWeeter and more reStful, and
the singer is flying low. He is larger
than our song sparrow, and the two
lateral tail feathers are white. All.
that is bav-Winged bunting, or yesper
sparrow, as he is sometimes called,
because he loves to sing after shutdown.
We will be careful that we do not
step on Mrs. Bunting. She is down
under a tuft of grass Matching out her
second brood. BobOlink is balancing
in the scene. How can he help looking
solemn in his black and white dress,
with perhaps Il touch of yellow? He
is thinking what an odd fellow he is.
Now he is black and white bobOliRk
Soon he Will change his dress, and
then he will be brown bobolink. As
he passes through the southern states
on his way south he Will be reed bird,
because he lives ON wild oats, and
when he reaches Carolina he will be
rice bird. indigo bird tgoldfinch's cous-
i'm fits cut from the edge of the wood,
looking as though he had been dipped
in bluing. He is an exquisite bird
with a persistent lisping 'tehee, teIee,
tehee, tehee, tehee." Soon meadow
lark, sitting Oh a fence post, will sing
sweet songs to the hay-makers, and
an innocent tussock of grass. A hap
pier rural couple can not be found,
nor a more modest rustic pair. They
are brown and black above with rich
dark yellow underneath, crossed on
the breast by a black velvet crescent,
and a bit of yellow on the wings.
Cuckoo, in Quaker dress, is, such a
shy bird (and stealthily sometimes too,
l fear,) that he will give only occasion
al glimpses of himself, as he swiftly
steals from branch to branch, concealed
by the foliage of the woods. Red
winged blackbird, like a commander-in-
chief in bright epaulets, appears on
the edge of the swamp and adds his
cultural to the other bird notes.
When the days work is done, from
tiae woods come the sweetest Calls
it to supper, or is it a goodnight? Note
follows note 50 fast and SO ringing,
you wonder if it is the tea-bell. But
the farmer does not see his little wood
thrush friend, for the bird is hidden
away among the trees as he sings his
'eh rhehu vehuhu, eh Villa villa Villa
vehehu, eh vehu velu villiu"-''good-
night! goodnight! good-nightr'
The description of the plumage Of
the birds is of course very incomplete,
only sufficient for casual indentification.
The song sparrow is dusky striped
above with lighter stripes on neck and
breast