A First Glance at the Birds. 



calls being characteristic woodland notes 

 during the summer-time. 



The singing birds are a host in them- 

 selves, embracing all the sweet-voiced 

 inhabitants of our hills and groves. 

 They are mostly small in size and rep- 

 resent the highest type of bird develop- 

 ment. A mere enumeration of the 

 families of this order, within which are 

 numerous genera and a still greater 

 number of species, will suffice to indicate 

 its extent and to recall many of our most 

 familiar birds. It embraces the larks, 

 the crows and jays, the starlings, the 

 great finch and sparrow group, the 

 tanagers, the swallows, the waxwings, 

 shrikes, vireos, wood-warblers, wagtails, 

 dippers, wrens, creepers, nuthatches, and 

 titmice, the kinglets and gnatcatchers, and 

 finally the thrush family, which includes 

 many songsters endeared to us by 

 association and fable, such as the robin, 

 the bluebird and the thrush. 



Although many of our poets have not 

 awakened to the fact, the skylark is not 

 44 



