The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-03

row is the smallest of the species we have
out here and has pretty little song, which
he utters swinging on the tall tule stalks.
He is very plain, reddish brown, with
yellow stripe on the crown, but is trim,
neat little fellow and pleasant to see about
the salt marshes.
The chipping sparrow stays with US. l
saw couple accommodating about clump
of live oaks over in Alameda the other day.
He is sociable fellow, his only song low
trill He remains in the city during the
summer. taking to the fields in the au-
tumn.
Besides these there is the California song
sparrow. an olive brown bird streaked with
dark brown and gray. They sing by the
hour, and sing, too, regular song of sew
eral stanzas. each being quite complete and
comprising NUMBER OF notes. Another
popularity is that each bird seems to have
an individual song, although all are char
acteristic and unmistakable. l heard one
fellow singing in the woods once who
nearly fooled me into believing he was
whole colony of birds, so varied was the
range of his song, but despite its indi
vidualitv it was Enthusiastically the song of
sparrow.
There were a few years ago several varie-
ties of wrens in and about Oakland, in
Guiding that dainty little beauty, the ruby
crowned wren but the English sparrow
has driven them all away. have not seen
one in two or three years. The blue linnet
is another of the birds that of late seems to
have disappeared. A few years ago there
was scarcely thicket little way back
from the BAY where this lovely bird could
not be found. ! saw one in birdstore not
long ago. The dealer called it an indigo
bird. probably on the same principle that
Lord Dundreary called his brother Robert,
because his name was Frederick, There is
not an indigo feather about the blue linnet.
His plumage is Just the shade of the la
zuli blue stone of Italy, for which reason
another name for the bird is the lazuli
finch. They sing all summer pleasing,
rather monotonous song, and are one of
the most beautiful birds we have.
In the woods about the Calaveras and in
Livermore Valley there used to be num-
bers of pigeons, among them a rather
pretty blue and white one, called by
the country folk 1.-The mourning dove"
with a peculiar, mournful but very musical
note, that sounded pleasantly among the
trees. / have not heard this note in long
time, although l have seen the feathered
mourners in the market this winter. 1t is
probable that most of them have fallen
victims to the sportsmen, which is great
pity, for our woods have little of this sort
of life to spare, and the plaintive note al
ways seemed to me to blend charmingly
woods.
There are other birds in the country
around the BAY. | would like to devote
some attention to the different blackbirds,
the Jaws and the lark, who, besides being
our most distinctive singer, is a very low
able fellow; but lack of space forbids. I'm
less steps are soon taken, however, for
their protection a very short space indeed
will serve to chronicle the list of our song
and ornamental birds. The ubiquitous
and Ubiquitous English sparrow has driven
them from our cities, and the amateur
marksman and camper is destroying them
in our woods and canyons.
The mocking-bird, that charming must
clan who is met with so constantly in the
southern part OF the State, might, it is de-
clared by good authorities, be successfully
domesticated up here. Indeed, some of
them have been seen quite contented and
at home in the trees and gardens about
Redwood City, but until some law is passed
for their protection, as has been done in
some of the southern counties, it is doubt
full whether an attempt to transplant them
would be wise. There seems no limit, in
deed, to the vandalism of the bird de-
troyer. Three or four years ago when
was conducting country newspaper. not a
hundred miles from San Francisco, pair of
humming birds built their mimi
tesimal nest somewhere near my
office, and for several weeks made life
Joy TO me by their presence. The little
hen finally retired from society and
judged she was on the nest, but the bril-
liant mite of male became so tame that
he would even invade the sanctum sane
forum to pillagei from the cut flowers on
my desk their drops of sweetness. He be-
came very tame, and not even the clatter
of the presses ever seemed to disturb the
smart little fellow; but one day he disap-
peared. Later some of the boys brought
me the tiny nest, smeared with the con-
tents OF one broken eggshell, One of the
robbed the nest to add the eggs to a collec-
ton he was making. He had succeeded in
capturing the mother bird, but she had
died, apparently of fright, in his hand.
What became of the friendly, brilliant
hued little mate after his bereavement I
never knew. ADELINE KNAPP.