42 BIRD-SONGS. 



blue, the yellow-rumped, and the chestnut-sided, 

 sing two melodies each, while the blue golden- 

 winged has at least three ; and this, of course, 

 without making anj^thing of slight variations 

 such as all birds are more or less accustomed to 

 indulge in. The best of the three songs of the 

 blue golden-wing I have never heard except on 

 one occasion, but then it was repeated for half 

 an hour under my very eyes. It bore no re- 

 semblance to the common dsee^ dsee, dsee, of 

 the species, and would appear to be seldom 

 used ; for not only have I never heard it since, 

 but none of the writers seem ever to have 

 heard it at all. However, I still keep a careful 

 description of it, which I took down on the 

 spot, and which I expect some future golden- 

 wing to verify. 



But the most celebrated of the warblers in 

 this regard is the golden-crowned thrush, other- 

 wise called the oven-bird and the wood wagtail. 

 His ordinary effort is one of the noisiest, least 

 melodious, and most incessant sounds to be 

 heard in our woods. His song is another mat- 

 ter. For that he takes to the air (usually start- 

 ing from a tree-top, although I have seen him 

 rise from the ground), whence, after a prelim- 

 inary chip^ chip^ he lets falls a hurried flood of 

 notes, in the midst of which can usually be dis- 

 tinguished his familiar weechee, weechee^ wee- 



