The Green Forest tribune., 1910-08-26

Like most Americans interested in birds and books, l know a good deal about English birds as they appear In books. know the lark of Shake speare and Shelley and the Ettrick Shepherd; know the nightingale of Milton and Keats; know Words worth's cuckoo; l know mavis and merile singing in the merry green wood of the old ballads; I know Jenny Wren and Cock Robin of the nursery books Therefore l have always much desired to hear the birds in real life; and the opportunity offered last June. As could snatch but few hours from a very exacting round of pleasures and duties, 1t was necessary for me to be with some companion who could iden tify both song and singer. In Sir Edward Grey, keen lover of outdoor life in all it's phases, and a delight ful companion, who knows the songs and ways of English birds as very few do know them, l found the best pos sible guide.
 We left London on the morning of June 9, 24 hours before I sailed from Southampton. Getting off the train at Basingstoke, we drove to the pretty smiling valley of the Itchen. Here we tramped for three or four hours then again drove, this time to the edge of the New Forest, where we first took tea at an inn, and then tramped through the forest to an inn on it's oth CT side, at Brockenhurst. At the con clusion of our walk my companion made a list of the birds we had seen putting an asterisk opposite those which we had heard sing There were Al of the former and 23 of the latter as follows:
 "Thrush, *Biackbird, "Lark. *Yellow Hammer *Robin, +Wren, *Golden Crested Wren, "Goldfinch, *Greenf1nch Pied Wagtail. Sparrow, *Dunnock (Hedge Accentor), Missel Thrush Starling, Rock, Jackdaw, *Black Gap S Garden Warbler, *Willow Warbler II %Ghfff Chaff, %Wood Warbler, *Tree Creeper, #Reed Bunting, +Sedge War bier, Coot, Water Hen, Little Grebe (Dabchick), Tufted Duck, Wood Pi geon, Stock Dove, *Turtle Dove, Pee. wit. Tit (?Coal Tit), &Cuckoo, Might jar, Swallow. Martin. Swift. Pheasant Partridge.
 The bird that most impressed me on my walk was the blackbird. had already heard nightingales in abun oance near Lake Como, and had also listened to larks, but had never heard either the blackbird, the song thrush or the black cap warbler; and while Knew all three were good singers dld not know what really beau. tl1ul singers they were Blackbirds were very abundant, and they played a prominent part in the chorus which we heard throughout the day on every nand, though perhaps loudest the fol lowing morning at dawn. In its habits ana manners, the backbird strikingly resembles our American robin, and in deed looks exactly like robin, with yellow bill and coal-black plumage IL nops everywhere over the lawns Just as our robin does, and 1t lives in nests In the gardens in the same fash ion. It's song has general resem olahce to that of our robin, but many oI the notes are far more musical more like those of our wood thrush 4nueed there were individuals among ,uose We heard certain of whose notes seemed to me almost to equal in poin, oi melody the chimes of the wood thrush; and the highest possible praise ior any song bird is to liken it's song .o that of the wood thrush or hermit lnrusn. l certainly do not think that tue olackbird has received full justice III the books. I knew that 1t was a singer, but l really had no idea how me singer he was. suppose one, of H. troubles has been his name, just as With our own cat bird. When he appears in the ballads as the merle olacKeted with his cousin, the mavis ,ne song thrush, 1t is far easier to rec. .snlze him as the master singer that ne is't It Is fine thing for England 10 have such an asset of the country. e'ue' bird so common, so much in evi. aehce, so fearless, and such a really beautiful singer.
 ihe most musical singer we heard was the black cap warbler To my ny ear It's song seemed more musical M 'nan mat of the nightingale. It was eaias iaass'onlshlngly powerful for so small a Sno' Tn volume and continuity 1t does . o' come up to the songs of the sniusnes and of certain other birds ou. Tn quality, as an isolated bit of -e'ooy' It can hardly be surpassed.
 among the minor singers the robin "as noticeable. We all know this Te''y little bird from the books, and
 as prepared to find him as friendly T S attractive as he proved to be, but
 "u not realized how well he sang.