THE PERCHING BIRDS. 



109 



and masters, and, as in mankind, they should not be. 

 Occasionally these birds, both male and female, take 

 to imitation, and where the note mim- 

 icked is a clear, full one, the success is 

 pronounced. I remember hearing a 

 whippoorwill imitated, and as it was 

 in broad daylight, the sound was the 

 more noticeable; for, contrary as birds 

 are disposed to be, I never heard 

 the whippoorwill at high noon. 



Nuttall has treated of the 

 Cardinal's song most ex- 

 haustively and correctly, 

 but so very varied are the 

 many whistlings that 

 the bird must be heard to 

 be appreciated. Nuttall gives 

 a dozen variations of the 

 bird's song. It were easy to 

 ditional ones. We get an 

 ever, by remembering one 

 tones of the Cardinal are 

 in the manner of the 



give a dozen ad- 

 idea of it, how- 

 fact, that " all the 

 whistled much 

 human voice." 



A migratory grosbeak, brilliantly black and white, 

 with a superbly rose-tinted breast, comes from the 

 south to the Middle States every spring, and while 

 many remain, others go farther north, even to Canada, 

 although beyond the United States they are said to 

 be rare. We all have our preferences and are entitled 

 to them, and my fancy is that this Rose-breasted 

 Grosbeak is our finest singer. Of course there goes 

 up the shout, " What of our thrushes ?" That has 



