274 SINGING BIRDS. 



vishnu, then his woitee woitee woitee and wiltee wiltee wiltee. 

 Soon after I first heard the note of the White- eyed Vireo in 

 March, the Carolina Wren immediately mimicked the note of 

 teeah ^vewd wittee weewd. Some of these notes would appear 

 to be recollections of the past season, as imitations of the 

 Maryland Yellow-Throat {wittisee wiitisee wittisee wit, and 

 shewaidit shetvaidit shewaidit) , not yet heard or arrived within 

 the boundary of the United States. So also his tsherry tsherry 

 tsherry tshup is one of the notes of the Baltimore Bird, yet in 

 South America. 



While at Tuscaloosa, about the 20th of February, one of 

 these Wrens, on the borders of a garden, sat and repeated for 

 some time tshe-whiskee whiskee whiskee, then soolait soolait 

 soolait ; another of his phrases is tshukddee tshukddee tshukd- 

 deetshoo and chjlbway chjibway chjlbway, uttered quick ; the 

 first of these expressions is in imitation of one of the notes of 

 the Scarlet Tanager. Amidst these imitations and variations, 

 which seem almost endless, and lead the stranger to imagine 

 himself, even in the depth of winter, surrounded by all the 

 quaint choristers of the summer, there is still, with our capri- 

 cious and tuneful mimic, a favorite theme more constantly 

 and regularly repeated than the rest. This was also the first 

 sound that I heard from him, delivered with great spirit, though 

 in the dreary month of January. This sweet and melodious 

 ditty, tsee-toot tsee-toot tsee-toot, and sometimes tsee-toot tsee- 

 toot seet, was usually uttered in a somewhat plaintive or tender 

 strain, varied at each repetition with the most delightful and 

 delicate tones, of which no conception can be formed without 

 experience. That this song has a sentimental air may be con- 

 ceived from its interpretation by the youths of the country, 

 who pretend to hear it say sweet-heart sweet-heart sweet ! Nor 

 is the illusion more than the natural truth ; for, usually, this 

 affectionate ditty is answered by its mate, sometimes in the 

 same note, at others, in a different call. In most cases it will 

 be remarked that the phrases of our songster are uttered in 

 3's ; by this means it will generally be practicable to distinguish 

 its performance from that of other birds, and particularly from 



