The times., 1901-04-28
CHORIOTERS OF THE SPRING
Songs of the Birds That Come
When the Flowers Blossom.
sweet Notes That FIJI the Genial Afr
With Melody Morning and Eve
ming TriilingS-The Haughty Viz
ginia Nightingale and the OrfoIe.


with Melody Morning and Eve
ming TriI1ingS-The Naughty Viz
Einia Nightingale and the OrIoIe.
have never had access to Audubon or
Wilson. but bird books generally, I think.
only serve to quicken your interest, to
lead YOU to the open doorway of the
trees" The writer's reduce the birds
songs TO syllabication. part OF imagina
ion, part OF sentiment. and you cannot
identify them by this any more than tho
human voice can reproduce their Turing
calls. One writer hears the bluebird say.
Purity. purity another is sure Il is
Dear. dear. think Of it." The accent is
the same and the accent Is all you can
catch of the birds songs.
You get but a faint simusacrum Of the
bird from pictures. Many are but photo
graphs of stuffed birds, all similar in pos
ture. and the coIOred plates are 50 red.
green. and violet they must have been
pictured through the prisms of the imagt-
nation.
Some of the descriptions are no less
misleading What does ''greyish. brown
ish, olive" or "buffy." express TO you2
Don't you feel mixed like the coIoTs2
The cedar waxwiug is purplish cinnamon
AbbffF SAE9 1911 ttAtEAaAAAoAA UtAOH- tdiA fBtA
ever expect to know him2
One is sure the tOwhee says "Chewink."
and the song sparrow. Maids. put your
kettle on" and that the robins song is
mOnOtonous; another that no bird can
excel the robin in the great variety OF his
vocal expressions. Take my advice of
this last one. and hang a drinking dish.
large enough for his bath tub as well.
and the robin. who is a devoted spiasher.
will come and you may judge for your
self In CowpeT's Answer to ChiId's
Question" he prettiIy settles this little
language of the birds:
Do you ask what the birds say7 The sparrow.
the dove
The linnet. and thrush say. q love and
The lark is so brimful Of gIadness and love-
The green fields below him and blue sky above.
That he sings and he sings. and forever sings he.
Il love my love. and my love loves me-"
To know the birds you must begin and
end the day with them. hear their mathis
and their vespers, whicn differ somewhat.
To do this, you must live next door to the
world, and to an unfrequented pasture, or
woods, of scant water sources. and thick
cts, wild-rOse and paw-paws jungles. In
such a pasture as 1 have mentioned. isO-
lated old and wooded, where three slopes
IUuiiu u a uOltONs II ~ IEt-Dhu lsEts just
above a water source. This tree has
twin bole, wrapped and tangled in a dozen
ancient grape-vines. These form a soli-
tary grove, a sweet harbor. where the
birds stop at evening on the way from
feeding excursions to their places OF sleep
Here / go at sun-dOwn, and, euvelOped
in a large brown shawl, arranged far
over my face, nun-faShiOn. / sit on a
stump near the tree. and the birds come so
close / don need glass to study them-
They do not fear anything mOtiOnless,
vested in the cOlors OF their habitat, the
browns and sreys OF the trees, as they
now appear. Here. lately, long after sun
down, a red bird, Shyest Of strangers, al
most touched my shoulder. as he few.
with a loud Whirr of his swift swings, into
the red bud tree He hoped through the
vine tangle, in and out, flashes OF red twt-
light fire. flirting his conspicuous tail
and crest, uttering low nervous click
that L never heard from him before. He
is in constant. restless dread, with his
fatal gift OF beauty: j moved my foot
slightly against a dry twtg, and 4 fash
of red twilight hre was gone IN the dark
down the valley. James Lane Allen, In
his pretty description. calls him "a flame
coIored prisoner in dark green chambers
Cthe heart of a CEDAR. who has only TO
arrow He also says he calls out 10
the world, peace, peace, a. meiodlous
sigh" The cardinal or red bird has an
other name. the Virginia nightingale, a
proud and naughty F. F. v.
In this same sweet harbor I also saw
another shy and beautiful bird. the or
chard oFiole- His length Is about seven
inches, and all black above but the shOul-
ders and part of wings. which are rich
chestnut brown; the breast and below,
also this warm brown. He has white
wing bar, and the other wing feathers
edged with black and chestnut. His tail
is round and black, edged with the brown
Here I have also seen the charming
towhee twice, and both times accom-
ma fE1 oil = n
feeders and get over their native heath,
the one with a hop, the other with a run
ming walk The towhee is also called
ground robin. and Is evidently on good
terms with his gray cousin. The tOwhee
is clad in much finer apparel, and is one
of our prettiest and most plentiful birds.
He is nearly eight inches. is all black
above but the outer tail feathers. which
are white. Below he is partly white, his
sides being a beautiful bright bay. His
call note is clear, pealing 'tewiek.
tewiek," you cannot mistake. [ see him
now every evening, in another part of
the pasture, where brambles cover an old
rail fence. He comes flying low and not
very fast, his tail more white than black
when spread While he is feeding on the
ground and making the dead leaves fly
with his scratching, he continually says
''towhee." He rises to tree to sing his
beautiful ringing song. To hear them an
swer each other in the twilight with
'tewiek.' now near, now far. Is fine
ward for sitting cramped on a stump in
evening. As John Burroughs SAYS the
woods we know so well hold birds that we
know not a all
L had the pleasure of holding a pair OF
purple grackies in my hand the other day.
but they were dead; all because a small
boy thought they We're "tOrtOIans, an
tOrtOians air good ter eat" He meant
the ortOlan, or bObOlfnk. which at this
time of the year is black, washed with
white. a yellow patch on neck. In au-
tumu he becomes a dull brown and loses
his song and is universally killed as OTtO-
Ian and reed bird by boys small and boys
big. A flock of purple grackles or crow
blackbirds. seen in the air. squeaking Il
high. wheezy note appear plain birds, all
black But they are arrayed in rides
Cence. The head and neck a beautiful
iridesceut blue, the back glossy. metallic
bronze, shading TO purple and plum on
wing and tail. Only below and under the
wings is the color a rusty brown. The
iris is a bright yellow This is the IA
miliar biackbird despised of farmers.
They flock early in September and warn
us of the melancholy days to follow Now
they join the spring chorus. expressing
love with their wheeZy squeak. as truly
as does the laverOck, with his golden
notes. For the spring chorus is love, still
love. The sweetest sOnsbirdS nestle in a
pair and hard is the heart the lOveth
naught in May, in uncertain ApriL-Lul-
lie Polk Taylor in the Kansas City Star.
TRUE LOVE AMONG sAVAGEs.