The times., 1901-03-10

T.. Coutioue-Notes of the Robin
TO he Heard in Northern 1iimes'
frail mite Of a warbler which the
fingers of babe could crush VIII Jour
nev for thousands of miles from It's VIII
ter nome in South America, TO rear us
Young near the Arctic Circle, with as
much certainty and regularity as the
coming of the seasons. whether TINS
fact is more wonderful than any
other fact in nature, l know not but
that it is indescrihably impressive,
think no one Will deny. Is there anyone
so Indifferent to birds, / wonder, that on
hearing the wild "honk' of Canada geese
he would not raise his head to see that
glorious flying wedge of grey, or whose
heart would not beat faster if at night
he heard. far up among the stars, the
cry of the wild gander leading his squad
rons northward through the pathways OF
the skis?
To one who loves nature, the return
of the birds is one of the great events
of the wear. How eagerly he listens, on
a balmv morning toward the end of
February. for that soft sweet song which
tells him that the bluebird has come
back, and how his heart leaps when he
sees fall to the brown earth that hutter-
ing fragment, dropped from the blue
vault of heaven.
Even the noisy grackles which darkeh
the elm trees here and there are welcome
for they are as certain signs OF coming
spring as the first robin whose warm
red breast seems to melt the lingering
snow as he skins above you.
Unless the weather is very mild, how
ever. these birds will not arrive before
the early part of March The male req
winged blackbird first appears about TINS
time to await his more delicate mate
! who will Join him a few weeks later
! Ahout the middle OF the month the clear
| whistle of the meadOwlark Will be heard,
! and we shall see him, sometimes perGneu
/ on the bare tree-tops, sometimes waking
about the brown fields IN company WIZ
his fellows, and sometimes scaling, quall-
! like from one meadow to another. ms
| white outer tail-feathers, displayed Wheh
/ he flies and when he nervousiy ItlIs NE IrIS
/ tail in walking, form an excellent marx
Of identification, even II we canhol dp-
! proach near enough TO see the yelio"
| breast with its crescent OF black; +.
! few DAYS later come the rusty
| bIackbird and the fox sparrow, both OF
| their way -northward. The foX-coL)red
| sparrow is the largest of the sparroWs
! and a glimpse of him as he scratches
! vigorously among the dead leaves IS
| a slight characteristic of the season.
! Toward the latter part OF the hoiit1
the cowbird puts in an appearance, ,,,aI.s anu
| phoebe the first of the fycatcneTs.
| seeks her old haunts about the arch Or
! a bridge or near the ruins of an old
mill, perhaps. -, -.
| Ting cry and blue streak over the
| water Will announce the arrival OF the
| kingfisher, sand with him VIII come tIle ts
! tree swallow the Spanish swallow, ana
! the pine warbler, possibly. The great blue
| heron arrives at this time, almost a
! month ahead of his little green cousin.
| and we may see him along the streams
| or wading about on the mud Hats, IN
/ of fish or
| In the middle of the month we usually
! see the hermit thrush on his way horth-
| ward. AS he does not sing When ne Is
! travelling. il IS often Gitfcut tor the nov
! ice in bird study TO Identify him, paftlcu-
J larlY as he only remains rev Gays
| Besides the difference in plumage, now
! ever he has a characteristic little haDit
| of raising his reddish tail slowly in the
| air until it is almost perpendicular, and
| then slowly lowering it again. II we see
a thrush do this We may be sure tlaI We
! are looking at 4 hermit.
Many other birds are coming IN now
and. if we would identify them, We
should be out with a field-glass and take
them as fast as they come as every new
! arrival helms to still further confuse us
! The swamp sparrow ana the purple hnch
arrive about the same time as the herThi,
: thrush, but as they VIII stay Win Us a.
/ summer we may let them wait 70 DE
! studied later if we are pressed Tor time.
| The same may be said of all the rest
Of the resident birds; though the sreattl
3 m
easier ,ne task of identifying the Tnmi-
| grants which pass through.
! Toward the end of April the yellow
| beuied sap-sucKer Is mere Tor tSM
davg. and occasionally we may see MN
drilling holes around the trunk Of al
apple tree, a sugar maple or an Aus
| tTian pine and if we step up ana eA
| anime them after he has gone, We shdi
| probably find each little hole hiied VIII
About this time the twittering of the
barn swallow is heard; the che~lnk S.il al,
his name distinctly along the edges OF IN
| woods and the long. slim brown thrashe
! comes back to sing ms marNelouS SOM
! from the top of the sapllugs IN the hefSr
| row With them come the least nycaIch
| ar the bat-lfke chimney swift ana ln'
yellow ana black-throated green warp
| lcrs The yellow warbler or summer vel
! low bird as il is called, is one OF th'
most Dersistent little songsters we have
and his cheerful voice may be heard al
| mist every day from the time he arrives
until he leaves as in September; -;
| Rut Nav Is the great month OF the mi
grafton Encouraged by the warm south
west winds. the birds come north IN grea
| waves and on some mornings we aWak
! to find the trees and bushes swarmini
| with bright -colOred warblerS, SOmbre
| hued sparrows, thrushes and tiycatchers
| and on such morning II is no uncon
mon thing for a bird student 10 identif,
sfkty species or more. in a walk of al
hour or two.
Next day or the following they ma,
| nearly all nave HlSd pDedTed as NY SUI
ously as they came; a warm night haVln
induced them TO press on toward thei
breeding grounds farther north. a da
. or two later another wave may be here
. and so on until the first Of June, by whic
time the spring migration will be practi
, | caUv over, such birds as the black-pOl
| Canadian and morning warblers brlngln
uu the rear.
While the birds from the South ar
. | passing through, our little winter visitor!
b. / the iunco. yellow -rumped warbler, brow
b. creeper, golden-croWned kinglet, and win
ter wren, all say good-by and return I
their homes IN the north. so that by tn
r | end Of May. the birds which we see abou
| us are with few exceptions, those whlc
| will remain here TO breed.
Bird students who have not alread
learned 10 know the permanent resident
e. and the winter vistants should max
e. haste to do 80. for many Of the m grant
. are already speeding northward, and In
% few days the first arrivals Will be- here
- begin a new chapter in ornithology whic
will be the easier To study II the last or
has been thoroughly mastered.-Erne.
Harold Baynes in the Hartford Times.
"Trun Down.
q Orrom the Review Of the Ropublic)
20 Thrown down. to indicate rude disa