The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-09-08

like Ike most Americans Interested l.
o,'us and books, know sood u
b 'ooIt English birds as they appear N i,
oooAs' know the lark Of shall
speare and Shelley and the Ettri0,
o,uepherd; ! know the inghtinaa,a W y,
yI.',. and Keats; know Words
Wi " cuckoo; know mav,s on5
~ ote ~, singing in the merry green woo[
VI .ne ola ballads; know Jennv W.
anu COCK Robin of the nursery boots
nerefore have always much destros
" near the birds in real life. and ,he
opportunity offered last June As
eoulu snatch but a few hours from, .
very exacting round of pleasures and
n,,.n '' II was necessary for me to he
WIN some companion who could iden
NY both song and singer In q,
EDWARD 1s Grey, keen lover of outdoor
s'e III all Its phases, and a delight.
'u' companion, who knows the songs
ana ways OF English birds as very feu
40 know them, found the best mos
sible guide. '' pos
we ielt London on the morning Of
June D. "a hours before sailed from
southampton. Getting off the train NJ
6aslngstoke, we drove to the pretty
ShilIng valley of the Itchen. Here
we tramped for three or four hours
men again drove, this time to the edge
Vi 'he New Forest. where we first
1ooh Tea at an inn. and then Trained
through the forest to an inn on its 9th.
er SIDE, at Brockenhurst. AT the con.
clusion of our walk my companion
'uade list of the birds we had seen.
putting an asterisk opposite those
Which we had heard sing There were
Al OF the former and % of the latter
rs follows:
thrush. 'Blackbird Lark. .YeIlow
Hammer, robin, +Wren. Golden
crested Wren, 'Goldfinch, 'Greenfnch
Pied Wagtail, Sparrow. tDunnock
lHedge Accentor), MISSED Thrush,
starring, Rock, Jackdaw, tBlack Can.
Garden Warbler, "Willow Warbler,
'Chin Chaff, wood Warbler. stree
Creeper, Freed Bunting, 'Sedge War.
oler, Coot, Water Hen, Little Grebe
(Dabchick), Tufted Duck, Wood Pi.
geon, Stock Dove, turtle Dove. Pee.
wit, Tit (?Coal TIT, Cuckoo. .Night.
Jar, Swallow. Martin, Swift, Pheasant.
Partridge.
Inc bird that most impressed me
on my walk was the blackbird. had
already heard nightingales in album.
dance 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,
did not know what really beau
tiful singers they were. Blackbirds
were very abundant, and they played
prominent part in the chorus which we
heard throughout the day on every
hand, though perhaps loudest the fol
lowing morning at dawn. In its habits
and manners, the blackbird strikingly
resembles our American robin, and in.
deed looks exactly like a robin. with
a yellow bill and coal-black plumage.
1t hops everywhere over the lawns,
just as our robin does, and 1t lives in
nests in the gardens in the same fash
ion. Its song has a general resem-
blance to that of our robin, but many
of the notes are far more musical,
more like those of our wood thrush.
Indeed there were individuals among
those We heard certain of whose notes
seemed to me almost to equal In point
Of melody the chimes of the wood
thrush; and the highest possible praise
for any song bird Is to liken its song
to that of the wood thrush or hermit
thrush. certainly do not think that
the blackbird has received full justice
in the books. knew that it was a
singer, but really had no idea how
inc singer he was. suppose one OF
hi. troubles has been his name, Just
rs with our own cat bird, When he
appears in the ballads as the merle,
,racketed with his cousin, the mavis,
he song thrush, 1t is far easier to rec
gnize him as the master singer that
,e is. 1t is a fine thing for England
o have such an asset OF the country.
,ide, bird so common, so much in evil
lence, so fearless, and such a really
beautiful singer,
The most musical singer we heard
vas the black cap warbler. To my
ny ear its song seemed more musical
han that of the nightingale. IL was
!stonishingly powerful for so small
,Ird: in volume and continuity it does
lot come up to the songs OF the
brushes and of certain other BIRDS,
nut in quality. as an isolated bit OF
melody, It can hardly be surpassed.
Among the minor singers the robin
vas noticeable. We all know this
retty little bird from the books and
was prepared to find him as friendly
nd attractive as he proved to be- but
had not realized how well he sang.