BIRD STUDY 31 



toward the corntield with no death-deahng 

 weapon in sight; then your approach may be 

 quite close before they withdraw. 



When marauding Shrike or Hawk suddenly 

 and on noiseless wing plunges into the midst 

 of a flock of songsters, the cry of fear that 

 goes up sends every defenceless bird in sight to 

 cover instantly. There is no mistaking the 

 signal and the response is immediate. Equally 

 definite and vastly more pleasing is the happy 

 conversation that goes on in a flock of Chick- 

 adees as they busily work away at their never- 

 ending search for food on a bleak winter day. 

 The fortitude and hardihood of these sturdy 

 little birds quite excites one's admiration, and 

 one easily concludes that their happy notes are 

 really for the purpose of cheering and encourag- 

 ing one another at their seemingly cheerless 

 task. At any rate, they convey a lesson of 

 cheerfulness and gratitude to us mortals which 

 we cannot quite afford to overlook. 



Song. To the great majority of people birds 

 are most attractive in their vocal utterances, and 

 one hears many songs when the singer is not 

 seen. It is through their fine musical perform- 

 ances that birds appeal directly to the heart, 

 and a careful study of the various species in this 

 particular will bring the keenest enjoyment. 

 Few experiences of my life have given me so 

 much genuine pleasure as the study of bird song. 



Each variety has its own utterances, but not 

 all may be classified as music. Often there is a 

 striking resemblance between the songs of the 

 diff"erent members of a family. For example, 



