Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-30
A SWEET soNGSIER.
xhs BobOlInk. His Habits and His Sum
 EaOr Uaunts.
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 Especial z; erespondCnes.l
 PH1LApIIPfIl May SS.-TVhs last days of May, or the Z. st week in June, when all green things aro speaking Gloqusntly of Q mature spring, iG the best time to see and hsas this tho most beautiful and eheary of all she sSG<lings. Of the family letsride he h scientifically designated as the Dolic- bonyx oryzirorus, which would no doubt bs a burden to him if he knew it. He has bean with us nearly a month and has had ample time to feel thoroughly settled in his summer home.
 During tho coldeSt months most of his kind sojourn in the West Indies, where an abundance of the food he enjoys is to be had. Bob seems to prefer islands to con tinentS, as the majority of his tribc seek them rather than follow the host of birds who flee from the cold northern winter to the perennial warmth of Central America and southern Mexico. Our bird in his passage south last autumn met with much persecution, for his is a dual character. As she time arrives for his departure he as Semblss in aocks, which are constantly augmented on the journey by the addition of families and small detachmonts of bob olinks joining the migration. He has lost his brilliant summer coat and now wears the sober color of his demure mate With the cold weather his appetite, always a hearty one, becomes voracious, while he pays tho penalty for tho grccdincss by growing so fat that at times the tender skin across the breast will burst when killed on the wing by a shot from ono of the numerous gunners who eagerly watch for his advent in their hunting quarters He is now no longer tho bobolink, but in New Jersey, Maryland and ViESinia is known as the ortOlan, while his poor lit tic round body is stripped of his feathers and sold by the dozen in the markets of our larger citics-the rarest tidhit of an cpl curean feast. In the middle states the marshes have been his resting place, but reaching the far south ho takes kindly to tho riceflelds and then becomes the famous ricebird of Louisiana. Here q mcrciless slaughter is wagcd against the birds until they leavc this inhospitable region for their winter home. But with us his lifo is n joyous one, for here he distributes himself widely over the meadows throughout the north in pairs, each couple taking posses sion of whole field, if small, but if very large sometimes two or three with their wives occupy the samo ground
 Tho rollicking singer in his gaudy summer suit of black, yellow and white immediately makes his presence known by his merry vOluble song. These colors of his arc oddly distributed in patches. On the back part of tho neck Is spot of cream color running into white, which covers the back as far as the tail, leaving the breast wings and tail a rich black. Our destina- ton Is 6 broad, level, verdant meadow. where the OK eyed daisies later in the sea son will spot the pasture with large patches ot white. Long before we reach 1t snatchcs of rich bird music come to our ears horno by the soft south wind that Is blowing in our faces. As we climb the old fenco we are saluted by burst of intoxicating mel