70 BIRD-SONGS ABOUT WORCESTER. 



known as reed-birds. In the Southern 

 States they become rice-birds, since they 

 make great havoc in the rice-fields of these 

 States, and again in the Bahamas they play 

 the role of the butter-bird. The bobolinks 

 winter in the West Indies, or even farther 

 south. They summer in Canada, and in 

 New England, and the other Northern 

 States, and every spring throughout this 

 whole region there is scarcely a meadow 

 which is not taken possession of by at 

 least one pair of these birds. The bob- 

 olinks are common enough everywhere 

 about Worcester, but I find them espe- 

 cially abundant in the fields and meadows 

 on both sides of Lincoln Street from 

 Adams Square to the Poor Farm. 



The king-bird {tyrannns caroliiieJtsis), 

 largest of the fly-catcher family, is prob- 

 ably as familiar to most of my readers as 

 the bobolink, with his white-tipped tail- 

 feathers, black back, and white breast. He 

 is, perhaps, most noticeable as he sits on 

 the telegraph and telephone wires, darting 

 forth now and then to capture some un- 



