AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY 



12' 



Best of all, his voice does not become rusty and squeaky out of the usual 

 song season. In the coldest weather it sounds strong and cheery, and the 

 articulation is almost, perhaps quite, as distinct as in the vernal time of song. 

 Even when our bird is moulting he sings as loudly and clearly as when he 

 is in the best of feather. I doubt whether this can be said of any other 

 bird in the United States, unless it is the water-ouzel of the Rockies and 

 Sierras. Do not understand me to say that the Carolina sings as often in the 

 autumn and winter as in the spring, yet he does sing quite often even then, 

 and when he breaks into song, his tones are as strong and clear as at any 

 other time. So far as I am able to tell, he sings all his tunes in the winter; 

 and you and I know that he has quite a repertory. 



Yet there are some people who cannot appreciate Carolina's stirring 

 songs. One day while I was sitting at luncheon with some friends, one of 

 these birds burst into a loud aria, which came through the open door. "Lis- 

 ten to the song of that wren I" I cried, with not a little fervor. "Do you call 

 that a song?" asked Mrs. Nonappreciative, who was sitting at the table. The 

 idea that any one should question the musical quality of Carolina's voice ! 

 Why not ask whether Nordica ever sang? 



A few days later I was delighted with some other people. We were 

 playing a game of croquet, when suddenly every mallet was held poised in 

 air on account of a ringing bird song close at hand. Every player stood 

 spellbound. "What bird is it?" all of them exclaimed in great excitement. 

 "The Carolina wren," I explained. "There it is on the edge of the roof." 

 And the accommodating little feathered artist stood there while we watched 

 him, and gave us several of his choicest selections. 



"Oh! isn't it sweet?" cried one of the ladies. "It's thrilling!" another 

 declared. "It made me thing of Roderick Dhu calling his clans to arms!" 

 said one of the gentlemen, who was well read in Scott. "It is a genuine 

 bugle call." 



That is the kind of people the naturalist dotes on — people who have a nice 

 ear for nature's music. 



