Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-12-26
What the Birds Sing
Question for Thought
Walter K. Putneyl

''Zee-zee-zee-ee" is the song of
many of the warblers. The black
throated green warbler is said to
sing "Cheese, Cheese, a Little More
Cheese" and as you listen to the song
you can catch some thing about
cheese in it! Bradford Torrey inter-
prets the same song as "Tress, trees,
murmuring trees" so you see, we do
not all think alike.
1t is interesting indeed to take the
different interpretations and attempt
to hear the wording for ourselves.
One summer, not long since, | was
visiting an uncle i'm lower New
Hampshire We heard a towhee sing
his beautiful little melody, which
causes him to be called chewink. That
was not disputed; he certainly did
say "cheewink" very plainly indeed.
But when we came to interpret his
other, and longer, song, we certainly
had an argument. / declared that he
distinctly said, where's your
breeeeeze?" while my father declar-
ed with emphasis that he very plain
ly declared that it was time to "pick
your peasw After we had talked for
some time a friend told US that the
common Interpretation around any
section where country dances were
held was, "Dick, you fddle-iddle-
didle."
That bright golden summer spot.
the goldfinch, is one of the most
cheerful of our feathered friends, and
yet no two people can agree upon
what he sings. "Hear me, hear me,
dearie?" is one way his song is put
to words, while another is, $50 here
we go, so here we go!" Never mind,
always had my own idea of what
he says, and / think that anybody
ought to hear the same words in his
song. They are, CHEEKY, now, be
CHEEKY" and his whole attitude re-
fleets cheerfulness. But / suppose
that you will have your own way of
wording that song, and you have q
perfect right to do so; that's half
the fun in bird work!
There are many of our common
birds that will fully repay you for the
time you spend in listening to them.
The earliest is the song sparrow and
Thoreau expressed the song as,
Maids, maids, maidsl Hang on your
teakettle!" Then there is the blue
bird who signs with happiness as he
announces that spring is at his heels
and exclaims, Dear, dearl Think of
it'll" The disguested flicker, as he
turns from some smaller creature
exclaims, "Wit? What witt wit!
What witt" The Baltimore oriole
has evidently been having a hard
time persuading his mate TO do
something he has been urgently seek
ing. Finally she assents and he ex-
claims, "Will you? Will you really,
really, truly" and she answers, II
will"
The tanager is impatient; or per-
haps he thinks his mate is, for he
says, "Pshaw! Wait, wait, wait for
me. Wait!" And so we may find in
bird life the same kind Of talk that
we human beings hear amongst our
selves. One Of the greatest pleasures
is to spend a portion of each day in
listening to those songs about you
and interpreting them. You will
note that there are many ventrilo-
uuists in the trees; that the songs Of
different individuals vary; that you
can fit one Interpretation to one sing
err and not to his neighbor Of the same
color: that there are a thousand and
one things in bird songs and calls that
you never noticed before, although
you had heard them over and over
again. 1t is lots of fun; just try it
and see.