32 BIRDS OF FIELD. FOREST AND PARK 



with the Thrushes, by all bird lovers declared 

 to be the very prima donnas of the bird 

 chorus, the songs of the various species differ 

 greatly, and yet there is a quality of tone com- 

 mon to all their songs that is quite unmistak- 

 able when one has once become familiar with 

 the notes of this family. The same is true of the 

 Vireos, and perhaps the family resemblance is 

 quite as striking. 



In a given species the songs of individual birds 

 will vary to a considerable degree. Mr. Bur- 

 roughs tells me of a Song Sparrow that had in its 

 repertory at least eight songs. A bird of this 

 kind within hearing from our lawn this summer 

 had a peculiar ending to his song that was 

 unlike anything I have ever heard. But in gen- 

 eral it may be said the similarity is close enough 

 between members of the same variety to be easily 

 identified when judged by the typical song. 

 With some varieties the males alone sing; in 

 others both sing with equal skill. Other varie- 

 ties, as Cranes, Crows, Jays, Hawks, Ducks, 

 Snipe, and most of the wading and water birds, 

 have no song at all. Even that exquisite crea- 

 ture, the Cherrybird, has no song, its only note 

 being a faint lisping '' seep seep^'' not especially 

 sweet or musical. The Swallows, except the 

 Martin, can scarcely be classed as singers, yet 

 their contented warbles make very pleasant 

 sounds during the sultry summer days. 



Bird song is almost endless in its variety. 

 The ^^ sweet heart'' notes of the Chickadee, the 

 tumbling torrent of the Bobolink as he hovers 

 above the flower-strewn meadow, the measured 



