1904] Warbler Songs and Notes. 19 



WARBLER SONGS AND NOTES. 



By Rev. G. Eifrig. 



Now that the crows, the vanguard of the annual bird migra- 

 tion from the south, have arrived, and two or three bluebirds 

 even have coyly appeared in a sort of tentative way, to see whether 

 winter would not soon disappear in earnest, we may reasonably 

 expect to soon see larger divisions of the great bird-army. In 

 April the sinister companies and battalions of the blackbirds often 

 make themselves apparent even to the casual observer, the purple 

 and rusty grackles with their discordant gurgling, and the fine 

 redwinged blackbirds with their martial congarde. Besides these 

 some larger birds, which however do not make themselves so 

 apparent, will then come, some herons and hawks ; also the little 

 trusty phoebe with the plaintive note from which its name is 

 derived. And then comes glorious May, which brings surprises 

 and joys each day in the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Then 

 huge waves of warblers, finches, thrushes, vireos or greenlets, 

 plovers, etc., arrive daily. Then is the time for every one who 

 can, naturalist, professional, amateur or otherwise, lovers of nature 

 and the beauties of it, to arm themselves with an opera glass and 

 lens, and note book, and see, observe, behold and drink in as it 

 were the beauties and lessons and mysteries that nature holds up 

 to our raptured vision. Some of the finest and most interesting 

 objects that we then can and ought to become acquainted with are 

 the birds. Watch them with or without glass, try to impress 

 their chief characteristics on your mind, and if you do not know 

 the bird and are a beginner in bird-craft, look up at home your 

 Bird Neighbors, or some other popular book on birds, and see 

 what the bird you did not know was. And the more you learn 

 thus by your own exertion, which is at the same time pleasure, 

 also healthful to a degree, the more you want to learn and find 

 out ; the love of it will grow on you. 



After knowing the birds by their color, size, etc.. a person 

 should try to attain some proficiency in recognizing them by their 

 songs and other notes. Of course, if all the birds would announce 

 their names as plainly as the chickadee, or the phoebe or bobolink, 

 this would be comparatively easy. However, this is not the case. 



