418 American Son^r Birds 



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while the bird is always unseen, the voice shifts from place to 

 place among the bushes, as if proceeding from a spirit. At 

 first are heard short notes like the whistling of a duck^s wings, 

 beginning loud and rapid, and becoming lower and slower, till 

 they end in detached notes. There succeeds something like 

 the barking of young puppies, followed by a variety of guttural 

 sounds, like those of some quadrupeds, and ending like the 

 mewing of a cat, but much hoarser. All those are given with 

 much vehemence, and in different keys, so as to appear some- 

 times at a great distance, and instantly again quite near you. 

 In mild serene moonlight nights, it continues this ventrilo- 

 quism all night, responding to its own echoes. 



The song of the Baltimore Oriole (Oriolus baltimorus) is 

 little less remarkable than his fine appearance, and the inge- 

 nuity with which he builds his nest. His notes consist of a 

 clear mellow whistle, repeated at short intervals as he gleams 

 among the branches. There is in it a certain wild plaintive- 

 ness and naivete extremely interesting. It is not uttered with 

 rapidity, but with the pleasing tranquillity of a careless plough- 

 boy, whistling for amusement. Since the streets of some of 

 the American towns have been planted with Lombardy pop- 

 lars, the orioles are constant visitors, chaunting their native 

 " wood notes wild," amid the din of coaches, wheelbarrows, 

 and sometimes within a few yards of a bawling oysterwoman. 



The notes of the Orchard Oriole (Oriolus mutatus) are nei- 

 ther so full nor so mellow as those of the Baltimore, and are 

 uttered more rapidly and gaily, while the bird is flying and 

 caroling in a hurried manner, so that the ear can seldom catch 

 all the tones. Among these there is one note especially which 

 is very striking and interesting. 



The Virginian Nightingale, Red Bird, or Cardinal Gros- 

 beak (Loxia cardinalis), has great clearness, variety, and 

 melody in his notes, many of which resemble the higher notes 

 of a fife, and are nearly as loud. He sings from March till 

 September, and begins early in the dawn, repeating a favourite 

 stanza twenty or thirty times successively, and often for a whole 

 morning together, till, like a good story too frequently re- 

 peated, it becomes quite tiresome. He is very sprightly, and 

 full of vivacity ; yet his notes are much inferior to those of the 

 wood, or even of the brown, thrush. 



Another bird of this genus, the Pine Grosbeak (Loxia 

 enucleator), sings extremely clear, mellow, and sweet, though 

 not so loud as birds of its size generally do. A tame one sung, 

 during the months of May and June, with much enthusiasm, 

 for whole mornings together; and it acquired several notes 

 of the Virginian nightingale, one of which hung near it. 



