658 HiSTOItY OF THE 



tion be the work of a master, these brief strains and snatches, 

 though apparently insignificant, are intimately connected with 

 the harmony of the piece, and could not be omitted without a 

 serious disparagement of the grand effect. The inferior singing- 

 birds, bearing a similar relation to the whole choir, are indis- 

 pensable as aids in giving additional effect to the note of the 

 chief singers. 



"Though the Robin- is the principal musician in the general 

 iinthem of morn, his notes would become tiresome if heard with- 

 out accompaniments. Nature has so arranged the harmony of 

 this chorus, that one part shall assist another; and so exquisitely 

 lias she combined all the different voices, that the silence of any 

 one cannot fail to be immediately perceived. The low, mellow 

 warble of the Bluebird seems an echo to the louder voice of the 

 Hobin; and the incessant trilling or running accompaniment of 

 the Hairbird, the twittering of the Swallow, and the loud, melo- 

 -dious piping of the Oriole, frequent and short, are sounded like 

 the different parts in a band of instruments, and each performer 

 seems to time his part as if by some rule of harmony. Any 

 ■discordant sound that may occur in the performance never fails 

 to disturb the equanimity of the singers, and some minutes will 

 elapse before they resume their song. It would be ditiicult to 

 draw a correct comparison between the birds and the various 

 instruments they represent. But if the Robin was described as 

 the clarionet, the Bluebird might be considered the flageolet, 

 frequently, but not incessantly, interspersing a few mellow strains. 

 The Hairbird would be the octave flute, constantly trilling on a 

 high key, and the Golden Robin the bugle, often repeating his 

 ioud and brief strain. The analogy, if carried farther, might 

 lose force and correctness. 



"All the notes of the Bluebird — his call notes, his notes of 

 •complaint, his chirp, and his song — are equally plaintive and 

 closely resemble one another. I am not aware that this bird 

 utters a harsh note. His voice, which is one of the earliest to 

 be heard in the spring, is associated with the early flowers and 

 with all pleasant vernal influences. When he first arrives he 

 perches upon the roof of a barn or upon some leafless tree, and 



