The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-07

The woods and orchards in and about Washington are now sounding with a bird chorus. The season of song in this section of the country begins with the jaunty piping of the saucy little English sparrow and ends with the fu1l-throated soprano vespers of the warblers.
 The full bird orchestra, though composed of number of performers, is not heard for more than two months of the entire year. Toward the middle of March the blue bird and the robin join the chorus the latter bringing his sweet lyric "whiff' Toward the middle of March the larks are stirred to utter their melodious call in the meadows. It Is not until the first of May that the voice of the brown thrush can be distinguished. Bird lovers of Washington are glad to hear it, for he Is one of the most finished musicians in the entire chorus. His song seems to be more studied, so to speak, than that of any other bird native to the suburbs of Washington. It has been called by the poet "a dramatic lyric without words.'
 The catbird appears about the last of May. During the same part of the month the Baltimore oriole drunk with the new wine of spring, chants madly in mid-air like a yellow-clad balcony serenader of the middle ages.
 The Robin and the catblrd.
 The bassoon of the dove invisible spirit of the woodlands, forms the bass of this bird orchestra. Before the middle of June the robin has ceased to sing, and the cat
 
 hhhhh- -aaaahhnnh-aaaaahhh the scold- ing cry which gives him the name he bears.
 Lovers of birds have learned to prize each for some peculiar quality. The un- usual length richness and variety of the brown thrashers song mark him out from other birds He likes nothing better than to perch on fence rail or well up in a tall tree and pour forth his song, balanc- ing himself the while with head erect and tail down. When he finishes his last sus- tained note he looks down, peering through the vista of leaves like the un- feathered songstress, and 1t must be added songster, on the theatrical stage. Those who are not familiar with the brown thrush's music might easily mistake it for that of the catDird. The songs of the two birds are alike in length of range, but the catbird lacks the strong dramatic quality of the brown thrasher and the rich passionate depth and the almost hu- man articulation of the thrasher's notes.
 Both birds have a low, contemplative call, reserved for their mates, and which is wonderfully sweet. It is rarely, how ever, that the bird-lover can hear these resting notes.
 The Orioles Enchanting Song.
 Curiously enough, the oriole seems en- chanted with his music. He begins his song with few preliminary pipings soft and low, like a ten-thousand-dollar tenor clearing his throat then, as if he had by accident touched button and had all his music on tap the whole comes tumbling forth, treat to the ear, as so much deep, red wine would be to the eye.
 But he is at his best when In full flight. It is nothing less than a sort of ecstasy; a sweet madness of music, accompanied by a wild huttering of wings, as with head and tail a-quiver and back concave he makes from treetop to treetop
 This exquisite fluting of the black and yellow songster Is only heard at long in- tervals about Washington. It seems to catch up and put into music the very spirit of the passing spring "Good-by. spring." is the burthen of the oriole's s song.
 The oriole is quite as fond of the larger city parks as of the more retired suburbs, and is a most companionable little fellow, singing undismayed to the largest gal lery"
 Sweet Notes of the Wood Thrush.
 The song of the catbird and the brown thrasher could Ill be spared; but 1t would be harder still to part with that of the wood thrush. He can be readily persuaded