THE BOBOLINK. 



.'HERE WiEhLI 



familiar bird 

 life. When 

 the male ar- 

 rives in the 

 spring he is 

 apt to have 

 some buff}- or 

 ashy skirting 

 on his black 

 feathers, but 

 these soon 

 disappear and 

 he stands 

 forth in a per- 

 fect livery of 

 black, white 

 and buff. Un- 

 der the neces- 

 sity of having 

 to provide for 



a growing brood, all his gaiety leaves him. He becomes anxious, silent, 

 and careworn. Barely are the youngsters able to shift for themselves, 

 when the father doffs the wedding garments, and puts on a severely plain 

 suit like that of the female. A month or so is spent by both old and young 

 in recruiting strength — a season which is passed for the most part in loose 

 flocks — and then the leisurely journey southward is begun, about the twentieth 

 of August. The sole and characteristic note from this on is a metallic 

 dink or chink. There is little concert about their southward movement, 

 and the air in our latitude may resound with dink cries at any time of 

 night, and often in the daytime, for a month. The birds gather in immense 

 numbers in the reeds of the Chesapeake region, and are slaughtered by thous- 

 ands for the market, where they are known as "Reed-birds." Later in then- 

 retreat they infest the rice-swamps of the Carolinas and Georgia, where 

 they are also killed in'great numbers, with perhaps some little show of justice. 

 But surely if our Southern neighbors could realize of how much delicious music 

 they deprive us another year, they would not be so cruel. It is a great pity that 

 the burden of the musician's support does not fall more heavily upon us, for 

 how cheerfully would we bear it ! 



