October, 1893.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



137 



much struck with it, for it certainly was 

 pleasing and a subject worthy of study, alone 

 in the questions — what birds sing on the 

 wing? and what prompts it? besides the 

 many other speculations which it will pre- 

 sent to a lover of nature. Since I have 

 several times seen this aerial flight of P. 

 cyanea, accompanied with song. The 

 Indigo Bunting always selects the top of 

 some tree near his nest as his special singing 

 site ; and there his charming notes may be 

 heard at almost any time of day. Strange, 

 though seldom, is that inspiration which 

 carries this modest little creature to sing 

 high up in the air, as though the earth were 

 no longer worthy of its presence. 



Having observed this in the Indigo Finch, 

 I was led to look for similar characteristics 

 in other birds. I found that the Blue Gros- 

 beak, Mocking-bird, and some of the Vireos 

 all give us "music in the air." The Mock- 

 ing-bird has a queer way while singing of 

 flying straight up for about twenty feet in 

 the air, then dropping down on the same 

 branch in a flood of song. 



^Vith the exception of the Mocking-bird, 

 none of our true Thrushes sing while flying, 

 though all of them give cries of distress and 

 anger in the air. 



Who has not scanned the space overhead 

 and strained their eyes to discern the ori- 

 gin of those simple quavering notes chickcr- 

 cliick-cJicc, cliickcr-cJiick-chce, and whose 

 sense of grace and beauty is not gratified at 

 the sight of the .American Goldfinch, or 

 Yellowbird, as he sees him ploughing through 

 the air, now up, now down, like some fairy 

 bark riding the waves, each rise and fall in 

 perfect time to his cadences? These notes 

 of the Goldfinch are not the same as that 

 "luxurious nuptial song" which he warbles 

 so joyously in the spring; and, till the other 

 day, I had never seen this pretty bird flying 

 and singing in a manner so happy that it 

 threw me into ecstaties. 



I was in an old orchard — that interesting 

 wreck so often the scene of ornithological 



marvels — at about eleven o'clock. The day 

 clear and bright had inspired the birds all 

 around to song ; when suddenly from some- 

 where, I knew not where, a Goldfinch came, 

 and with such exquisite grace of flight he 

 soared round and round, that I remained 

 gazing up at him in amazement, rooted to 

 to the ground until he disappeared in a tree, 

 ceased singing, and thus broke the spell. 



Of course all the readers of the "O. iS: O." 

 have seen that amusing feat of the ^'ellow- 

 breasted Chat, as he flutters in the air \vith 

 out-stretched legs and jerks out a jumble of 

 curious noises, both with wings and throat ; 

 all have been pleased with the gentle warble 

 of the Bluebird, flying to his mate ; and have 

 heard the love call of the Cuckoo as he 

 wings his silent way. These alone are full of 

 interest when we consider how few birds 

 sing at all in the air ; but to those lovers of 

 nature who have never seen some of our 

 common birds mount on their wings, un- 

 accustomed to sustain a high flight, as though 

 caused by some sudden inward exuberance 

 of feeling, and sing in a way which will cer- 

 tainly give pleasure to all that witness it, to 

 those who desire to reap " the harvest of a 

 quiet eye," is this written with the ho]ie that 

 they may find in this study half the enjoy- 

 ment that I have found. Hcnrv Avlctt. 



Ayletts, Va. 



Something About Owls. 



It is commonly believed that the Owl is 

 one of the most destructi\e birds freciuenting 

 the woods of North America. That it is vo- 

 racious, is well known ; and it is generally 

 believed to be injurious to both the farmer 

 and the sportsman ; to the former because it 

 destroys his chickens, and to the latter be- 

 cause it preys on various kinds of game. It 

 is also believed to feed largely upon song 

 birds. Actuated by these impressions, it has 

 always been customary to destroy these birds 

 whenever and wherever possible. Indeed, 

 the war that has been waged against them 

 has been so active and long-continued in 



