Waiting for Warblers. 73 



I am convinced that it is something more than the 

 mere utterance of the bird that holds us. The 

 truth is that almost no song of a bird will stand the 

 test of a scientific examination based upon the laws 

 of music or of melody. The circumstances and 

 surroundings quite as much as the sound uttered 

 have to do with the pleasure of him who hears it. 

 It is a delight, and one that no words can adequately 

 describe, to wander through dense hemlock forests, 

 such as were once common in the upper Dela- 

 ware Valley, and there see flash in front of you a 

 brightly colored bird, and hear it warbling as it goes. 

 Though the ''song" may be the most stridulous 

 tzit-tzit-tzity it is, nevertheless, a welcome sound, a 

 sweet if not musical one, because of its suggestive- 

 ness. It is, in this instance, evidence of a contented, 

 busy life in these gloomy woods. We are so pleased 

 to see the bird and to hear its best efforts to express 

 happiness, lame as they are from an artistic point of 

 view, that the creature seems beautiful more because 

 of its gayety than of its brilliant plumage, and musical 

 because of its light-heartedness. From the ever- 

 green forests of the mountains, from the gloomiest 

 swamps that ever defied the sunlight, we carry with 

 us the impression of wonderful musicians that have 

 made good their claim rather by their happy manner 

 than by any actual accomplishment. I would not 

 say one word in disparagement of warblers, but 

 surely they are not the only captivating birds in the 

 land, as more than one ornithologist has suggested. 

 An associate of the oven-bird in early spring, but 

 D 7 



