BIRDS. 



iLuusTRflTBD BY COLOR PHOTOGRfVPH Y. 



Vol. II. 



JULY, 1897. 



No. I. 



BIRD SONG. 



C^Tt should not be overlooked 

 by the young observer that if 

 he would learn to recognize at 

 g J I once any particular bird, he 

 should make himself acquainted 

 with the song and call notes of every 

 bird around him. The identification, 

 however, of the many feathered creatures 

 with which we meet in our rambles 

 has heretofore required so much 

 patience, that, though a delight to the 

 enthusiast, few have time to acquire 

 any great intimacy with them. To 

 get this acquaintance with the birds, 

 the observer has need to be prepared 

 to explore perilous places, to climb 

 lofty trees, and to meet with frequent 

 mishaps. To be sure if every veritable 

 secret of their habits is to be pried into, 

 this pursuit will continue to be plied 

 as patiently as it has ever been. The 

 opportunity, however, to secure a sat- 

 isfactory knowledge of bird song and 

 bird life by a most delightful method 

 has at last come to every one, 



A gentleman who has taken a great 

 interest in Birds from the appearance 

 of the first number, but whose acquaint- 

 ance with living birds is quite limited, 

 visited one of our parks a few days 

 ago, taking with him the latest num- 

 ber of the magazine. His object, he 

 said, was to find there as many 

 of the living forms of the speci- 



mens represented as he could. "Seat- 

 ing myself amidst a small grove 

 of trees, what was my delight at see- 

 ing a Red Wing alight on a telegraph 

 wire stretching across the park. Ex- 

 amining the picture in Birds I was 

 somewhat disappointed to find that the 

 live specimen was not so brilliantly 

 marked as in the picture. Presently, 

 however, another Blackbird alighted 

 near, who seemed to be the veritable 

 presentment of the photograph. Then 

 it occured to me that I had seen the 

 Red Wing before, without knowing its 

 name. It kept repeating a rich, juicy 

 note, oncher-la-ree-e! its tail tetering at 

 quick intervals. A few days later I 

 observed a large number of Red Wings 

 near the Hyde Park water works, in 

 the vicinity of which, among the trees 

 and in the marshes, I also . saw many 

 other birds unknown to me. With 

 Birds in my hands, I identified the 

 Robin, who ran along the ground 

 quite close to me, anon summoning 

 with his beak the incautious angle 

 worm to the surface. The Jays were 

 noisy and numerous, and I observed 

 many new traits in the Wood Thrush, 

 so like the Robin that I was at first in 

 some doubt about it. I heard very 

 few birds sing that day, most of them 

 being busy in search of food for their 

 young." 



[continued on page 17.] 



