The times., 1899-07-09

Thrush the Best Singer of All.
Even the keenest observer OF nature.
sitting in any one OF the many parks OF
| Washington on a July day, would not
imagine that at this season Of the year
about 100 different kinds of birds are to
be found in this city or vicinity Neither
would one think that in May or September
there are about 200 varieties Of birds in the
immediate neighborhood OF Washington
Yet. according to a well-known ornitholo-
gist connected with the Smithsonion In
| stitution, IL is safe to say that these figures
are by no means exaggerated. The atur-
alist in question has for the past twenty
years made a study of bird life In the Ma
tional Capital. and his statements may bo
taken as authoritative. When seen by
Times reporter few days ago he consent,
ed to give brief talk about Washington
birds and their habits.
He began by calling attention to the
Pide Billed Grebe. known as dabchoke or
hell-diver, naming the larger birds and
working down toward the small ones. The
bald-pate duck seldom seen here in July.
although authentically noted, was named.
as was the wood duck. or summer duck.
Other names Of birds, to complete the
long list, came in rapid succession. There
was the little bittern and the great blue
crane, with the American eagret, or white
crane. Others were the green heron.
known familiarly as the "shitepoke," and
the blaek-crowned night heron, who is
called the dog bird or the "squawk."
Woodcock was mentioned and several
members of the snipe family. The dow
itcher, or graybaek, was cited among these,
and he is very rare here before the au-
tumn. The red-back sandpiper, the ordi-
nary snipe; the semi -palmated sandpiper,
called the peep at times; the sanderling.
the white snipe that frequents the beaches
all these were mentioned.
Big yellow legs and little yellow legs
are snipes, and, with solitary sandpiper.
which never nests here. but in Northern
parts, occupy places upon the list. The
upland plover, which nests here sometimes
also belongs to the snipe family, as does
the spotted sandpiper, Winding up the
snipe list is the killdeer, the commonest
variety of snipe.
The list of this keen observer during
July included also the following birds:
The partridge, he who is called Boo
White" on account Of the males call; the
ruffied grouse, or pheasant; the common
dove, the turkey buzzard and following
them, list of hawks.
1t is the sharpshin. or partridge hawk,
a rdIHeT representative OF us LTiDe,
that gets the farmers chickens. The coop
er hawk looks for his rations in the same
quarter The red-tailed hawk and the red
shoulder hawk subsist muehly upon a diet
of frogs and don't worry themselves about
chickens The broad winged hawk eats
frogs. too. and the sparrow hawk wants
grasshoppers for breakfast. while the FISH
hawk, as one might guess, wants fish.
Mr.. Kingfsher likes the country around
Washington during July. The hairy wood
pecker is here and the down woodpecker.
which is the smallest that we see here. In
this family is the red-headed woodpecker,
and very rare article OF his kind, the red
bellied wOodpecker.
The bobolink in spring is the same thing
as the reedbird in the fall. He gives his
call "bob-o-link' in the spring and he is
shot and eaten in the fall. The cow-bird
lays its eggs in other birds nests and new
er matches its own eggs Several of her
large eggs have been found in a nest much
too small for them. She doesn't seem to
have a good idea of the fitness Of things.
and she is lazy, evidently, too.
The red-winged blackbird. or the swamp
blackbird; the meadow lark, the orchard
oriole, which is small and reddish and
black in colors; the beautiful Baltimore
oriole with his beautiful orange and black
coloring, have been seen here in July.
The purple grackle, or crow bIackbird.
which is long-tailed, is sometimes seen.
An everyday sight in the country is the
goldfinch called often the lettuce or this
tie bird. which is about the size of a cana
ry and which is bright yellow in color,
sometimes with a dash OF black.
The cedar bird is one of the long list
So is the red-eyed vireo, which stays near
orchards and houses and eats all of the
caterpillars that he wants. Then there is
the black and white warbler" a distinc-
tive variety of bird. Others are the worm
eating and the blue-winged, each about the
size of wren. The parula and the yellow
are other varieties, as is the cerulean, Of
a slate blue color, which is extremely rare
The Blackburnian is also rare here. AID
the pine, the prairie Ed the ovenbird
(also a warbler) are often seen
The Louisiana water thrush, the Mary
land yellow throat and the yellow-breast-
ed chat" follow. the chat being the VEN
triloquist of the feathered kingdom. You
will hear him in a brush heap and think
that there are ten birds there but it is
the same chat, just the same. He changes
his voice and his tune, and is said TO have
about forty songs in his repertoire TIE
redstart is of the same tribe
The catbird, the brown thrasher. called
the sandy mocker; the Carolina wren, the
largest OF the family; the house wren, lit
tie Jenny Wren" the long-billed marsh
wren, which is found in the swamps where
the cattails grow. These are the wren
representatives. The tufted-tit and the
chickadee which eats bugs off the trees.
the blue-gray gnat catcher.
The wood thrush is the best singer OF
them all. 1t is his note that charms the
wanderer through the woods as he rolls it
forth clear true, and liquid. There is but
one record of hermit thrush being seem
here in this month OF the year. Mr. Kirk
wood saw him on July ., 1890
Our old friend robin red breast" and
bird called blue breast, wind up a long
list.
A HEROIC YouNG SuRGEnN