112 



is a great variation in the sequence of notes, but all are beautifully 

 clear and ringing, and have a decided tinge of what would be sad- 

 ness if it were not so sweet. The bird flies in a very characteristic 

 manner, never raising the wings above the plane of the back, and 

 when seen below the horizon line always shows the white feathers in 

 the tail. His saffron breast and black breastrnark seldom show on 

 the living birds, and the mottled brown back is a wonderful safe- 

 guard against his many overhead enemies. 



* «■ * 



Two or more doves may be seen winging their headlong flight 



through the air. These are among the swiftest 



of birds, and are generally out of eyeshot almost 



before yon have seen them. (That is one way 



of knowing what they were.) In flight, they 



look like small j^igeons with very long graduated 



tails, and when, in some old orchard or open 



wood, you see one rise from the ground into a 



IL— Mourning tree, the white lateral feathers in the tail make 



'^^"^*' an easily recognizable mark. (Fig. 71:.) Their 



cooing notes are well known — a high piclied '"overtone" followed 



by several long bell-toned " ^oo"^^ — Z^^, " notes. 



* * * 

 About April 1 to 10, you may hear a scratching in the dead leaves 

 among the underbrush in any thickly grown tangle, and upon can 

 tiously coming up, you may discover the authors — not big grouse 

 as you may have supposed, but a flock of Ave vigorous fox-sparrows, 

 on their way to their northern breeding grounds. They are bright 

 bay fellows, with boldly blotched brown and white breasts, dili- 

 gently scattering the leaves for their food of seeds, spiders, ants and 

 other insects. If you have been fortunate enough not to have been 

 seen you may hear their song, which is one of the finest of our spar- 

 row songs, readily recognizable as such, though not resembling any of 

 its fellows — a clear vigorous carol, of ten ending abruptly with a 

 rather unmusical " clip." If, however, they have seen you, you will 

 be treated to a sharp " tseep ! " and a rear view of a flock of rapidly 

 retreating birds, for they are not sociable (with us, at least) and gen- 



504 



