THE LITTLE SONGSTERS. HI 



It is somewhat disappointing not to find in Wil- 

 son's American Ornithology any adequate or thor- 

 oughly reliable description of the songs of birds. 

 The great ornithologist did not know that both the 

 hermit and the tawny thrush are great vocalists. 

 Even Elliot Coues has very little to say about their 

 songs. 



Wilson speaks of the yellowbird' s song as weak- 

 ly resembling that of the English goldfinch ; he also 

 says that at sunrise, when great numbers of yellow- 

 birds assemble on the same tree to bask and dress 

 themselves, "the confused mingling of their notes 

 forms a kind of harmony not at all unpleasant." 

 This is exactly the character of bird music which, 

 as I have pointed out, is inadequately expressed by 

 notes. But if I should attempt to write out this 

 morning song it would run somewhat thus : 



The first four notes are simply two introductory 

 " cheeps" and the rest are very canarylike. 



Every one ought to know the yellowbird, or 



glancing over the articles on bird music, by Mr. Cheney, in the 

 Century, 1 instantly recognized among his musical interpretations 

 the songs of the hermit thrush, Wilson's thrush, scarlet tanager, 

 and yellowbird. 



