Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-05-03

IN his FURNISHED armor, the white and
black vireo, the French mockingbird' in
white and gray, the yellow and green
scissortail and "A lot of others. In March
the robin, indeed, has a slightly rump.cd
and draggled look. H. is quiet, not at
all perky, and seems anxious 90 escape
observation The reason of this is that he
is recovering from prolonged debauch
and his conscience hurts.
ON every Louisiana plantation and IN
most Louisiana yards are china trees
which bear a round, hard berry, twice the
size Of II buckshot. These berries are
green and acrd in summer, but when the
frost has fallen turn 10 bright yellow.
or them robin is fond. They contain
strong exhlarative principle which later
turns into a soporitlc. A half dozen OF
them set the bird to dancing about in
joyous fashion then it gets dizzy and
makes a few obiectiess turns as If 1t were
trying to waltz. then 1t topples over and
goes to sleep. It's stupor Will last a. half
hour When it wakes 1T goes back to the
tree and repeats the performance. Little
negro boys catch many robins IN stuIc-
fed or scmi-stupeiied condition. a Curl
Gus effect of the poison Is that 1t derriVes
the bird of sense Of danger. Those I'M
der it's influence suffer thcmselves to he
picked up and their nccks vrunS without
an effort to escape; After three months
of this sort of life 1t is no wonder that
Robin Redbreast wants to go off some
where by himself and sit down and think.
His sobriety in March is due wholly to
the fact that the china berries are all
gone. No morality, lately awakened ie-
strains him If the berries lasted all the
year he would he dt unk all of the year
and would never so north at all
If 1t were possible 10 catch AMI keep in
captivity full grown mockingbirds. those
captured now would be the most valuable
because their repcrtories now ar the ful!-
est All winter long they have been Assoc
cated with hundreds Of emigrInts from
New York. Pennsylvania and contiguous
States and they have picked up a vast as
sOrtment of melodies They have 50 many
in fact, that their 'Ongs sound like
whole aviary turned loose into VocaliZa-
ton one after another They will forge:
all of this by the middle Of summer and
limitations then will nc only Of native
birds, because tlc moCkcrs have % Eotd-
bly, poor memory, but they begin again
in the fall as soon as tho frs arrivals
from the North nave caught their hrcaths
and BEGUN to whistle, Chirp, or tWittcr,
and by the time the cold months are ever
they will be once more at their best one
singular result of the memorative faculty
of instinct Of the mockcr is the duets, or
sound-duels, which often occur between
Ii and the hermit thrush, the sweetest
minstrel of the North The hermit thrush
when 1t reaches .he South maintains is
and darkest parts Of the forests. 1t is only
rarely seen upon tho edge of a Held and
then fits back into thu Businesses as if
it dreaded the light. Its solitude AMI the
difficulty with which it is approached
however, have no effect upon ihc sweet
ness of it's voice or the liquid variety Of
its music. Its ppings are cfton hoard IN
woods which are quiet and the mochinE
bird, when it hears them, instantly ceases
its own song and bends all its auertlun
in the effort to memorize The song a.! 81
hermit thrush is not easy Of requirement,
both on account Of it purity OF tore AMI
its range of notes 1t is rare thing,
however that the male hooking bird j.
unable to master it, Wien ibis occurs
the future is due to the fact that
there is some fault in TIE individual mock
or. OF the strain of the hermit thrush
Burroughs says; Through the general
chorus Of wrens and wtrblers, ] detect
this sound rising, pure and serene, as if
a spirit from some remote height We're
slowly chanting divine accompaniment
This song appeals to the sentiment of tho
beautiful and suggests a serene relisi-
Gus beautitudc as no other sound in ma
turc does. 1t is not proud gorgeous
strain like the tanager's or the gros heaNs
suggests no passion or emotion. but seems
to be the voice of that calm, sweet solem-
nifty one attains in his best moments /,
realizes a peace and d deep solemn joy
few nights ago | assembled a mountain tC
see the world by moonlight, and wher
near the summit the hermit commenced
his evening hymn. Listening to this strar
on the lone mountain, with the full moor
just rounded from the horizon, he POM
of your cities and the pride of your civil.
. iZatiOn seemed trivial and cheap. | haV,
, seldom known two of these birds to Do.
, singing at the same time in the same lu
Cality."
The desire of the hermit thrush to B.,
, alone is as strong in Louisiana as in ii'
, Northern home. but when the mOcSng
bird is engaged in mastering its song f.
F is not permitted to be aloh". II mus
. either sing while another Sinerl is out
. pouring its soul or it must remain Situ
, altoe ether. The result Of This IS tlat Thu
listener is often furnished with a doubl
= hermit song, one by the hermit and on'
? by its imitator out there is no ca
, 50 fine that ii can detect the difference
4, If it happen that the mocker has progress
a ed to the last stage of his memOrlzatipH
p In fact the wood thrush, the cat bird, tn
r wood veery ana the wood sparrow ottt1
4 lind themselves mcrrily answering sup
posed brother hidden, whereas they al
- affording material to the moCkCr.
+ The man who starts for "a stroll thrOuS
n a Louisiana forest in these days will lcaV
+ his Waistcoat at home, for the weather !
70 warm to one in motion, though to lir
, who lies upon the dead grass and stare
I up at the blue sky 1t has "a lingering tan
: of chill in it. He will meet ia a walk a.
!, a mile with fifty different varieties g
9 birds and of these not less than hal
; will be of Northern origin. The woods ar
:, now open enough to afford more tnot
: stYuCted view and still sufficiently leave
n to give the requisite shelter 10 thcir IL
a habitantS The shades are well designe
{ to set off the bird coOrs, there being les
-. of the vivid green's Of summer rhe ever
Il, greens are of a darkness that is almO.
II black ana bits of brilliant hue are d
a strongly outlined against chem as If the
n were white. Across the snakclilte pau
II made by cattle in searching for water III
h grosheak will dart like flash o, fam
+ As it poses upon some naked hraucn, Wit
II a huge gray clump of Spanish moss be
q hind it, 1t seems to light up the surrOuEC
N ing dusk like a stab of fire. From Il
/, thick, green branches of "A cedar or arbC
IN vitae, leaps "A bluebird, to hc followed
m succession by green-backed fly~catche
a Vreo all in brown, and a scissor tail
\, white, black and slate blue. The cause
N their exit Will be a dwarf shrlke, of oral
~ like gray, with a bill as sharp as need,
Al as strong as a chisel and as long as itsel
o. 1t may carry upon its bill tiny Wren.
Va so. il will leave the cedar for Il locus
40 which stands all bare of leaves in an ops
II, space to itself, and upon one of the lol
r. thorns of a locust II will inpale the dee
IN wren, hanging it as scientifically as Cou
~ any butcher in trousers, after which
er Will fly away with an ironic chirp OF sati
al faction. The chances are a hundred
m one that il will not return to the wr'