New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-16
nv Theodore Roosevelt.

TIME thrush is a fine singer, TOO,
better singer than our American
l. robin. but TO my mind not at the
best quite as good as the blackbird at MS
best: although often found difficulty in
telling the song Of one from the song of
the other, especially if I heard only two
or three notes.
The larks were, Of course, exceedingly
attractive 1t was fascinating to see them
spring from the grass, circle upward
steadily singing and soaring for several
minutes and then return to the point
whence they had started As my COM
panion (Sir Edward Grey pointed out
they exactly fulfilled Wordsworth's de-
scription, they scared but did not roam.
1t is quite impossible wholly 10 diferen-
tiate a birds voice from its habits and
surroundings. Although in the lark's song
there are occasional musical notes, the
song as a whole is not very musical; but
il is so joyous, buoyant and unbroken and
uttered under such conditions as fully to
entitie the bird to the place he occupies
with both poet and prose writer
The most musical singer We heard was
the blackcap warbler. To my ear its song
seemed more musical than that of the
nightingale. 1t was astonishingly power
full for so small bird; in volume and con-
tinuity II does not come up 70 the songs
of the thrushes and of certain other birds.
but in quality. as an isolated bit Of mel
ody, il can hardly be surpassed.
Among the minor singers the robin was
noticeable. We all know this pretty little
bird from the books. and l was prepared
TO find him as friendly and attractive as
he proved TO be. but had not realized
how well he sang. 1t is not d loud song,
but very musical and attractive, and the
bird Is said TO sing practically all through
the year. The song Of the wren interested
me much because il was not in the least
like that OF our house wren, but. on the
contrary, like that OF our winter wren.
The theme is the same as the winter
wrens, but the song did not seem TO me
to be as brilliantly musical as that of the
tiny singer of the North Woods. The
sedge warbler sang in the thick reeds a
knocking, ventriloquial lay, which re-
minded me at times Of the less pronounced
parts of our yellow-breasted chats song.
The cuckoo's cry was singularly attractive
and musical. far more so than the rolling,
many times repeated note of our rain
crow.
We did not reach the inn at Broken
hurst until about nine o'clock, just at
nightfall, and a few minutes before that
we heard a night-jar. II did not sound In
the least like either our whippoorwill or
our night-hawk, uttering a long contin-
ued call Of one or two syllables, repeated
over and over. The chafiinch was very
much in evidence, continually chanting
it's unimportant little ditty. ] was pleased
TO see the bold, masterful missed thrush.
the stormcock as IL is often called; but
this bird breeds and sings in the early
sprins, when the weather il still tempes-
tuous. and had long been silent when we
saw IT, The starlings, rocks and jack
DAVIS did not sing, and their calls were
attractive merely as the calls of our
grackles are attractive: and the other
birds that we heard sing. though they
played their part in the general chorus,
were performers Of no especial note. like
our tree-creepers, pine warblers. and
chipping-sparrows. The great spring
chorus had already begun to subside. but
the woods and fields were still vocal with
beautiful bird music. the country was
very lovely, the inn comfortable as
possible, and the bath and supper very
ENJOYABLE after our tramp; snd altogether
81 passed no pleasanter twcnty-four hours
during my entire European trip.