Evening star., 1897-05-01

on every manu-. 1t Is
true that there is tradition of a snow
storm in May, back in the SOS. that was
80 heavy that a carriage was stalled in a
snowdrift on 9th street and could not be
,extricated for two or three days; but this
occurrence, II the tradition be trustworthy,
was of so exceptional a character that We
may safely leave 1t out of our calculations
and store our winter appurtenances, seighs.
wraps, skates and the like, in some safe
place. where let US hope, moth and rust
will mot corrupt, nor thieves break
through and steal And with our bridges
thus burned behind us, We turn our faces
ssummerward and lightly and gaily seek
those enjoyments that are offered by the
outdoor season.
As if 10 lure us to her haunts at the out
<set nature is most lavish of ner wealth IN
May, the threshold of summer. The air
is pure and of just the most enjoyable
degree of temperature; the foliage IS fresh
and delicate; many of the choicest flowers
are at the height of their bloom, and the
song birds are in their best voice, brightest
apparel. blithest spirits and greatest num-
bers. By the end OF the nrSt week our
summer birds have all arrived. and the
great migratory stream has attained Its
fcod- This hest of passing birds is no"
greatly augmented by the warbler family;
Why they are called "warblers' 1t would
be hard to say, for very few of them have
any high degree of musical ability Ihey
are far inferior vocally to the nncheS anu
'thrushes. their songs consisting prlrclpaLy
of high, thin notes, suggestive OF nne Wlre'
or buzzy tones. whose perpetual hoarseness
suggests the chance of a boom In the
cough drop industry.
Gay of PlumaEe.
But IL they are deficient in the musical
attainment that might be expected from
the family named. they are easily first In
beauty and elegance Of attire Their cos
tunes combine the 1icnest and most varied
oolors. Blue-winged yellow warbler, oerul-
can, blue yellow-backed, black and yellow,
chestnut sided, these names convey a mint
of the richness of thrir coats, but 1t Is the
merest hint. for they are meager descrip-
tions. and give no adequate idea OF the
variety of bright shades that each bird may
display. Chestnus-Sidad. for example. tells
nothing of the bright yellow cap. with Its
double border Of first white and then black.
AMI the coat of mixed black AMI pale yell
low margined with olive green that are
worn by the dainty bird that bears the
name. And SO 1t Is of others. Some have
rames that give absolutely no clue to the
character of the birds One of the hand
soonest members Of the family. bird that
wears striking costume of black and
white literally intermixed with intense
orange, is called the Blackburniun war
bier, i'll honor Of an English woman whose
husbands patronym was Blackburn. And
ceive in the name possible allusion to two
of the colors Of the bird,-its black being
afiame with orange,-yet 1t Is safe to as
sumo that no such occult meaning occurred
to the ornithologiSt who stood sponsor for
the little fellow.
This interesting group of birds Is we'll
worth seeing. The trees Of the woods are
filed with them. particularly in the early
morning, and one can easily imagine him
self in the tropics, much of vivid color
ing is exhibited by the dainty visitors as
they dart in and out. feeding, sporting and
'uttering their brief and unpretentious but
attractive little strains. Yet it Is a singu-
lar fact that their presence with US for two
or three weeks every spring is comparative
ay unknown, even to those whose lives are
spent in the country. They pass by, a gay
and brilliant throng, unnoticed by all save
an insignifca ant number of persons, princi-
pally ornithoiogists. 1t is probably because
we see only what We look for, and very
few look for birds.
The Scarlet Tnnnger.
One of the transient birds of May, whose
plumage rivals that Of the warblers In
beauty and elegance, is the scarlet tanaser
This gentleman (his wife is differently
CLAD wears suit Of the brightest Of scar
let. handsomely trimmed with black He
sings for while he is passing through,
but with indifferent skill. His method is
faulty, and the result Is a throatiness of
tone: while one of his songs, and the one
OF which he seems to be most proud, con-
sists Of a deliberate and tireIess reiteration
of the words chip churr' from the top of
some forest tree This phrase as he rem
ders 1t Is so nearly devoid Of musical in
Ionatiol that II seems to belong to the
category of oratory rather than singing.
Yet 1t is pleasant sound to one who knows
the singer, for 1t tells Of the proximity of
one OF the handsomest Of our visitors.