228 BIRDS OF THE PUBLIC GARDEN 



larly occupied, and so each succeeding 

 morning up to March 25, when his record 

 for this volume was necessarily closed. On 

 three of these mornings, March 20, 24, and 

 25, at about seven o'clock, he sang a few 

 phrases of song in mellow, rich tones, which 

 were thrushlike in quality and suggested at 

 times, now the bluebird's song and again the 

 wood thrush's, but sang softly, not allowing 

 his voice free scope, and each time he all 

 too quickly dropped to the ground again to 

 feed, and the brief singing was ended. On 

 all of these mornings the temperature was 

 near, or several degrees below, the freezing 

 point and the surface was hard frozen. 

 These conditions probably did not move 

 him to sing freely, and so for hearing the 

 full power and beauty of his voice we must 

 doubtless await higher temperatures and 

 more springlike conditions. The eight days 

 of continuous stay, following his return to 

 the Garden, indicates that this foreign 

 visitor, after three months' winter residence 

 in Commonwealth Avenue, has once more 

 established himself in the Public Garden 



