14 HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS. 



March 9tli, this year, blue birds were flying northward 

 over the city at intervals during the morning. They 

 had undoubtedly been on the wing all night, as it was 

 pleasant and moonlight. They were just visible to the 

 eye, and only uttured their plaintive " chee-ry," but it 

 was the first real voice of spring, and sent a thrill of 

 pleasure through the heart of the listener, quickening 

 the pulses like some tender pathos in a poem. The fol- 

 lowing day, March 10th, robins w^ere seen in different 

 parts of the city, and song sparrows in considerable 

 numbers were in the park and at Forest Lawn ; these 

 were in full song, and not troubled, hke their weather- 

 wise human friends, about the wintry w^eather still in 

 store for them. In turning over my note-book I read 

 "March 9 and 10, 3 877, robins, song sparrows, blue 

 birds and purple grackle here in great numbers." Only 

 one year since have they come as early. Last year it 

 was March 18th, and the year before a week later. They 

 often arrive just before or soon after the spring equinox. 

 The date of the arrival of those that come later when the 

 weather is settled can be predicted Avith greater accuracy. 



ApfiiL 3. — Closely following the robins, sometimes 

 accompanying them, are the purple grackles {QuiscaUis 

 quisGuld), Their cousins, the redwings {Agelais jphmni- 

 ceus\ come a little later. Both are harbingers of 

 spring, bright spots of life and color in the naked land- 

 scape. On some bright, crisp morning in March we 

 generally first see the grackle, where, from his high 

 perch near the top of a tree, in a song, half gurgle, half 



