54 PLUMAGE OF BIRDS. 



of various kinds of birds should suffer a metamorphosis. 

 Thus the bobolink exchanges his winter garment of yel- 

 lowish-brown for one of brilliant straw-color and black ; 

 and the red-winged blackbird casts off his tawny suit 

 for one of glossy jet, with epaulettes of scarlet. What 

 are the useful ends subserved by this mysterious pro- 

 vision of Nature ? She clothes them with beauty and 

 endows them with song at a period when their success 

 as lovers depends greatly on the multitude and power of 

 their attractions. Among the beautiful species their suc- 

 cess is in proportion to the splendor of their plumage; 

 and among the warblers, to the charms of their voice. 

 Beauty and song are the means l^ature has furnished 

 them, whereby they may render themselves, I will not 

 say agreeable, but attractive. I do not suppose a beau- 

 tiful male bird is preferred to a plain one of the same 

 species ; but his beauty causes him to be sooner discov- 

 ered by an unmated female. 



It is easy to explain, therefore, on the principle of com- 

 pensation, why handsome birds in general are endowed 

 with inferior musical powers. They are able to accom- 

 plish by their beauty of plumage what the plainer species 

 do by their songs. It may be observed that the hand- 

 some birds, when engaged in courtship, place themselves 

 in attitudes w^hich are calculated to display the full beauty 

 of their plumage; while the songsters under the same 

 circumstances pour forth an unusual strain of melody. 

 The hues of the brightly colored male birds may be a 

 means of assisting their young in identifying them after 

 they have left their nest. They hear, for example, the loud 

 call-note of the golden robin, and immediately they recog- 

 nize him by his colors, when, if plainly dressed, they might 

 not discover him. As soon as they behold him they com- 

 mence their chirping and are greeted by the old bird. 



There is one numerous tribe of bii'ds that run upon 



