The Newtown bee., 1896-06-26
Local Affairs
OUR NEWTOWE BIRDS WRITTEN FOR THE EIE

Ou. birds are like all New England birds probably. Bird life has given the writer from boyhood To old age, the most exquisite pleasure. Although we cannot call by name all the beauties of the woods and fields, We can describe nearly every bird by his notes. Nearly everybody knows the notes of the robins the Oriole, the wren. the phoebe, the whippoorWiIl and the brown th7ushes. But we have had ladies who have lived in the country for jo years ask Us: ''Is that robin singing?' ''No,' wereplied. that is a blue LIrd." The woods are full of the tiny little birds so de#cately and beautiful marked that we wonder why the editor does not stroll through inc path!ess woods to hear and sec them. The red robin astonishes you N W.th his brilliant color. The tiny yellow birds often gather by the d>zen in some tree and give the most delightful concert We ever heard. When boy We found an oven bird upon her nest. II wa built ike an old fashioned oven, sure, She was sitting upon four little birds that she thought the world of, and prc,cnded when she came eff that she could be easily caught by me. The partridge tries ro deceive the same. also the Woodcock and whipp0orwiu. Deception Is no sln with them: deception is no lie here. God taught them to deceive Did lie teach man too:
 The American or wood thrush, has te" notes, but they ring out metaho sound ike the far distant notes of the bugle. They sing mostly at t%iiight, The eat bird like the brown th7ushcs has variety of notes and never seems to know what note comes next. Suddenly h, cries ,.T-ah-ah, ike the raI, heLcc hi- name, The bob9liuk cxpre ses more happiness in his singing than any other fca,hercd songstcr. In his fl light over his little brown wife in the sweets cf incubation on her nest in the grass, he thrills her with pleasure, with the thought that the little batter fami.las iu the nest my sing sometime as well as the old man. The blue bird has thc same way of expressing j3v with his wirgs, but he cannot rival the bobolinl.. The little wrens n our well house have DOW a family ct four 5ear and quelr little ones. Ih- I"sla, cannot get much time to sing he Is ! 90 busy getting milier= and food for them. They hear his joyous wings and with b4by notes stretch their little chroats wide open. The batter knows which he fed last. The golden wood becker or yellow hammer is no" crying ,uicl-a -wick-a-wick, then "pe-up comes. and away he tl.es with drop aLd ! rise by closing lis wjrg E and e1'. ndiog alternately. How different from the pig con with his straight line. The chimney swallows go catching n.cs with a chip cbip, chippcr tune. They suddenly reach -he chimney ard with viogs held uT nearly straight above their sooCy bodies drop down to their nests of eggs and young. Who has not seen the gaT barn
 waIlows sitting along the ridge of the 1 barn. 40 st q time, and closing their mel l ifuous notes with a choking. swaLo"iog ,ouod. IS if that la-t note had too mucf sugar on it. Two hunmiug birds ar. happy over thimble like nest made from the moss of the maple they are nesting on. Their music is sufficient to them, ,ths rapid motion of their wings Wbjr run ming their long bills into the secrets O the flowers. But birds have thej
 troubles. like man. The red squirrel i Ian Arab. the blacksnake, the crow, tn hawk, the mink, the weasel, are afte Ithem brutal boys sometimes shoot them When trouble comes, they can CZpres their grief in most touching language We always go to their assistance. Whil fishing in the pure waters of the Houss tonic we have heard the "chuck" of tn
 kingfsher and fish hawk as they mad
 for a fi,h lying deep in the water. Lik
 flat, sharp-edged stone the chUcF
 ed. Ina moment out came th
 hawk with 8 large fish in |
 soaring away in higher ant *
 cles, he settled upon "s---
 Mountain, " on the top of l"a l. H.- lock, bald with age, and @
 raw, without dressing. We sa.o .'
 day was Friday, but he wouIca st:-
 fish any day in the week. WEo b"a 1 - seen this big bird lowering owe is I
 sired meal? Was the fish paraly@ vii
 those dreadful wings: We could n
 catch fish so well.
 The king bird is rightly named. V
 never yet saw him whipped He show r his yellow crown while riding upon u
 back of the crow or when saying to al
 bird, "this is my tree" Woe be to t
 bird that lights upon bis tree. He VI
 his crown by strategy, he wears 1t
 courage. "The bird that could fly hig
 est won in the trial for the crown. ' darted from the eagles back and erie
 ssking, king, king" So crowns are VIC
 re. W. B.