NATURE AND THE POETS. Ill 



oriole the elm-loving oriole. The bluebird pre- 

 fers a humbler perch. Lowell puts him upon a post 

 in the fence, which is a characteristic attitude : 



" The bluebird, shifting his light load of song, 

 From post to post along the cheerless fence." 



Emerson calls him "April's bird," and makes him 

 " fly before from tree to tree," which is also good. 

 But the bluebird is not strictly a songster in the 

 sense in which the sparrow or the indigo-bird, or the 

 English robin-red-breast, is; nor do Bryant's lines 

 hit the mark : 



" The bluebird chants, from the elm's long branches, 

 A hymn to welcome the budding year." 



Lowell again is nearer the truth when he speaks of 

 his " whiff of song." All his notes are call-notes, 

 and are addressed directly to his mate. The song- 

 birds take up a position and lift up their voices and 

 sing. It is a deliberate musical performance, as much 

 BO as that of Nilsson or Patti. The bluebird, how- 

 ever, never strikes an attitude and sings for the mere 

 song's sake. But the poets are perhaps to be allowed 

 this latitude, only their pages lose rather than gain by 

 it. Nothing is so welcome in this field as characteris- 

 tic touches, a word or a phrase that fits this case and 

 no other. If the bluebird chants a hymn, what doea 

 ihe wood-thrush do ? Yet the bluebird's note is more 

 pleasing than most bird-songs ; if it could be repro* 

 duced in color, it would be the hue of the purest sky 

 Longfellow makes the swallow sing : 

 " The darting- swallows soar and sing ; " 



