The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-07-06

sravsss and Cherries, Minstrel 81 An
A'neriean Biraa

ine song sparrow ie tue hiESer of the
year Neither winter cold nor sumrnel
heat has power to check his tunekvl de.
tires. In the February fields. wANR the
snow still lies banked deep againrt the
combining fences. the song sparrow vol.
ces the promise OF spring before tas
robin and the bluebird dare
In August when every other uird
scice is stilied and the earth is baked
and the green Is parched. The song
sparrow sings OF coming autumn rains.
In no month Of the year is he uhony
silent and though storm and hunger
may force him to long Journeys he has
a song ready for each new resting
place. The search for a sweet and per-
feet optimism ends With t5e sung spar
row.
The bird is nothing 10 the eye ara
everything to the ear He dresses iu
drabs and browns. with streanngs oi
and bay and ash. with white enough
below to make prominent an iJenu-
lying brown patch on the breast
The song sparrow gave the frcst-
bound pilgrims OF the Plymouth Colony
the first sylabled hope that somewhere
beyond the awful winter lay the spring.
He has been giving the same word cf
hope to every Northern farming house
hold for nearly three centuries. He IS
asbs true herald OF the spring, notwitb
standing the fact that the robin and The
bluebird have that honor OF men.
The robin and the bluebird are cou :
Epicuously beautiful; the song sparrow
Is an ugly duckling, and while be pipes
his spring song for a week before tae
others come, the ones in the nne ~ Ys
ment as is the wa, og things IN tins
world set the credit ol a welcome.
The song sparrow ought TO have won
s.sme songs In return for his music. but
moss OF the poets have been neglectfui
The stng sparrow is known TO the peo-
pie Of the country as the ground bird. =
Poets as a rule are not ornithologists,
and it is probable that when they have
caught the sparrows melody and have
been moved to questioning they have
Seen stopped from singing by the
earthly name OF the songster. Ground
bird. indeed The poet would have
none Of it, for poets must soar. Not
ali the human singers. however, have
neglected the bird, though none Of
them has given II any length OF lines.
George Parsons Lathrop. who did
much more In prose than in poetry. was
nevertheless moved out OF mis- wons to
sing when he heard the spring song
sparrow at his garden gate.
Gllmmers grey the lesfless thicket
Close beside my garden gate.
Where. so light, from post 30 wicket,
Hops the sparrow. blithe. scdatc:
Who. with meekly folded wing.
Comes to sun himself and sing.
Mr.. Latnrop caught the manner of
the sparrow and drew his proper pis-
ture Let not every one. however. look
for the song sparrow at his garden
cate. Ths birds presence there de-
rends altogether on the garden The
song sparrow shuns no man save the
man who makes artificial his surround
ings. Il is the oid-fashioned garden
with tangies here and there, that the
song sparrow loves. He does not dis
Dise the fruit garden. and though, like
the soaring lark. he prefers to make
his nest on the ground, be will on occa-
sion place It in the currant bush or in
some thicket which the hand OF the
gardener has gpared.
The song sparrow is one OF the few
American birds that are atty named.
The scientists have classed the birds
properly and have given them a prob
ably correct naming In Latin, but the
people In naming the fowls OF the afr
have played harce with truth. Some
Df our so-called thrushes are not
brushes at all; our robin Isn't a robin;
bur nighthawk isn't hawk. but our
song sparrow, praise be- is both spar.
row and a songster.
r. Schuyler Mathews ,n his Field
Book OF Wild Birds and Their Music"
declares that the song sparrow de
sotes himself to pure. simple melody.
md Is In consequence the best expon-
mt OF the song motive among all the
members OF the feathered tribe"
Mr. Mathews has made a transcript
ion OF the song of the sparrow and
las set II down in notes so that man
nay play IL upon his interpreting IN
itruments. He finds swing and ac-
'ent to these few tones which perfect
y express an exultant feeling, some
hing akin 10 that SO eloquently given
a the nrst bars OF siegypunds love
onSiR the Nibelungen Lied"
John Burroughs interprets the song
'Darow's music thus: "swee-e-t,
wee-et swee-e-t. bitter" and then he
ays mat this is simple but profound
umming up Of life.
And 20 il may be, but Il shakes ones
aith even In Burroughs 10 know that
q can End a suggestion OF bitterness In
ne music Of the song sparrow .chi-
ago Evening Post