The sun., 1895-05-05
SONG BIRDS HEREABOUTS.
MRS. KATE THROWS LECTURE AT
THE PRATT INSTITUTE.


Now IL the Tine to stuay resthercd Song
steru-where 60 Observe Then md
ThinGs that May Ne Seen and Heard.
Mrs. Kate Tryon of Cambridge. Mass, gave
an interesting talk upon birds at the Pratt tnst-
tute In Brooklyn last week. AZ she spoke OF
each bird she illustrated It with water-color
painting done by herself. One great charm of
the lecture was her reproductions Of tho bird
notes and songs which she did both by whistling
and by speak ing.
Mrs. Tryon began TO study birds five years
ago. She had been interested in botany from
childhood, but not until the spring of 1900 did
she realize what she had missed In bird life, and
she straightwsy proceeded 10 spend all her spare
timo in the fields and woods listening to and
observing the sorgsters. She warned her hearers
that II they wished to know birds they should
shun tho mote country districts and contine
themselves to the smaller towns the suburbs Of
cities, and large parks. as IN such places the
greatest variety could he found. Tho best time
OF day TO observe them is from o'clock In tho
morning, just after day break, on to 10 o'clock,
and again from half-past four In the afternoon
until sunset.
There 10 no better time to begin the observn-
tion Of birds than now" she said. About one
half OF the vernal migration is completed. and
by Memorial Day all the birds OF summer will
be with us. II you 20 out you can learn
the birds one by one us they come, but you walt
until June TO begin, there will be so bewilderng
variety that you will only be confused.
Let me begin with the birds that here
This morning was walking in Prospect Park
and suddenly I heard a strange, queer noise
like the sQucaking OF q wheelbarrow. Next
there was a chucking and a clucking, and then
saw blackbird, proudly strutting across the
turf. When you see flock OF these birds flying
1.
but take an opera glass, creep close. and you
will see that the man that called them black
was color blind, for they are iridescent, are
really black opals. AS walked on q little
further hear II faint, aerial, vague. honesick
warble that always tells us that spring Ia conf
ing and then caught CLEAN Of vivid blue.
bluer than the sky. the bluebird loved of all the
poets. AS he few away there was CLEAN Of
the ruddy breast. His song tells at first plain
lively and pathetically that spring Is coming
and as the days grow longer and warmer. the
song grows stronger and more joyful. The
bluebirds and the robins are scarce this year.
think that they came too early in March and the
cold weather killed great numbers of them.
The next bird song came right home to me
and will to you when you learn to know it. It
was the most characteristic Sweet. sweet.
sweet followed by a cnnary-like cadenza.
Sometimes the trill comes first. This dainty
song comes from a sparrow. 1t may seem ab-
surd that bird songs can come from these COM
mon little things, but large proportion Of our
bird music is furnished by the sparrow or finch
tribe. At least six of these song sparrows you
have in your parks. There are the chippy spar
rows. the song sparrow that haunts the low and
swampy lands. and the vosper sparrow that
lives on the highlands. The songs are exquisite
but elusive. and no human voice or instrument
can initiate their whistles md trills
"SOme OF you that have been in the White
Mountains or at Bar HarbOr may remember that
the guide books tell you of n strange. weird bird
need not go further than your OVID parks to hear
this exquisite song You will hear 'Seep,
seepv and then a burst of song as follows: