170 STUDIES IN THE FIELD AND FOREST. 



emerge has attained a dazzling brilliancy, the robins are 

 already less tuneful. They are now becoming busy in 

 collecting food for their morning repast, and one by one 

 they leave the trees, and may be seen hopping upon the 

 tilled ground, in quest of the worms and insects that 

 have crept out during the night from their subterranean 

 retreats. But as the voice of the robins has ceased, the 

 bobolinks commence their vocal revelries; and to a fan 

 ciful mind it might seem that the robins had gradually 

 resigned their part in the performance to the bobolinks, 

 not one of which commences until some of the former 

 have concluded their songs. The little hair-bird still 

 continues his almost incessant chirping, the first to com 

 mence and the last to quit the performance. Though 

 the voice of this bird is not very agreeably modulated, 

 it blends harmoniously with the notes of other birds, 

 and greatly increases the charming effect of the whole 

 combination. 



It would be tedious to name all the birds that take 

 part in this chorus, but we must not omit the pewee, 

 with his melancholy ditty, occasionally heard like a 

 short minor strain in an oratorio ; nor the oriole, who is 

 really one of the chief performers, and who, as his 

 bright plumage flashes upon the sight, warbles forth a 

 few notes so clear and mellow, as to be heard above 

 every other sound. Adding a pleasing variety to all 

 this harmony, the three notes of the meadow lark, ut 

 tered in a shrill tone, and with a peculiarly pensive 

 modulation, are plainly audible, with short rests between 

 each repetition. But he does not soar into the skies 

 like the European lark, and is not generally regarded as 

 one of our singing birds. 



There is a little brown sparrow, resembling the hair- 

 bird, save that his plumage has a general tint of russet, 



