Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-27
The Drummer of Spring
BY SAMUEL SCOV1LLE, Jr

General Spring, like every good gem
eral, has thoroughly organized army.
| He first sends on a number of Bird
| Scouts, who, like Boy Scouts, are es-
pecially hardy and brave.
This year, according to my record, the
| first two were the robin and the blue
| bird, which came in on February 10 to
Investigate the state Of General Winter 8
| entrenchments. They were closely fol-
lowed, however, on the 14th by the pur-
pie gracke, great purple black bird
! with a voice like an alarm clock and "A
| brave heart which can't be scared by any
amount Of snow and cold. On March Q
| Lieutenant Meadow Lark, who has charge
| OF the aeroplano division. came sailing
and gliding over the bare fields Although
courageous bird, he always shows two
| white feathers when he flies, and the
| front of his uniform is black and gold.
| On March 10 the red-winged blackbird
with his crimson epaulets came. on
March 20 the cowbird, which has a brown
head and purple black body, sneaked
In very cautiously, as he always does. on
March 81 tho turkey buzzard with his
black fringed wings sailed high up in tho
sky to reconnoter, while on that same
day along the ground came the foX-spar-
row with his speckled breast and tawny
red back, the largest and handsomest of
our sparrows. Then on March % came
tne pnoeDe IN her gray gown, one of
Springs most trusted spies.
These were the very pick of General
Springs scouts, warranted to stand any
amount of bad weather. 1t was lucky
that he had sent his most trustworthy
troop. for on April 3 General Winter
called UP that fierce fighter, Colonel Biz
zard and covered the country where
live with drifts four and five feet deep.
Yet even in the whirl of the binding
snow and tho howl of the Icy wind.
heard the notes Of the grackles and robins
and hluebirds, the First Three of this
picked band calling encouragement to all
the others.
On April in the gray sky came n
strange wild call and there flashed across
II bird with long, narrow wings and a
black band across his breast. 1t was the
kllldeer. the earliest OF the plover fam
lily. on the same day ! heard for the
first time this year the sAddcst of all
the bird notes. the lonely, grieving sob
Of the wood dove. who Is a plucky bird
however in spite of her grief-stricken
ways One year I found her nest, n lit
tie fiat platform of sticks with two white
eggs, on the last day of March.
Finally, on April came the long drum
beat for which had been waiting The
Flicker. the chief drummer of General
Springs army had come, and l knew
that General Winter would now have to
retreat, Inc fllCheT mas ~ IluBIllllCtnI
uniform, and If he were not so common
n bird, ornithologists would travel from
far and wide to see him.
He wears gray hat with crimson
crescent On the back of 1t, buff-colored
waistcoat with black polka-dots and a
wide tic of satiny black. He has long
black moustaches running back on either
side from the base of his bill. His wings
and tail feathers are black above and
gold beneath and he has a snowy-white
patch just above the tail, by which he
can always be told when flying. He loves
to drum. On my place he drums every
morning on a tin plate which covers
decayed stub of one of my trees. When
he finishes drumming he gives long.
rolling shout which sounds like yucca
yTcca-yucca-yucCa yucca yucca" and
when I hear him l know that spring is
really here. Later on Mrs. Flicker will
lay from five to eight eggs like pink
pears in a round hole, which they dig in
the tree. Every Boy Scout should know
and love Flicker the Drummer.