SONGS TO THE SUN 75 



The ' Summer is coming. I know it, I know it ' 

 of the thrush is a cheerful song that scarcely 

 rises and falls with the fortunes of the day. Even 

 when clouds float over the sun he knows it, he 

 knows it and affirms it, affirms it as confidently 

 as when the sun shines and sets all the minor 

 poets singing. The blackbird, on the other hand, 

 keeps his mellow, sympathetic notes for occasions 

 that specially appeal to him. He welcomes the 

 dawn with a dreamy, well-pitched rapture, and 

 towards the setting of the sun his rich music again 

 rings flute-like through the thicket. But he sings 

 most cheerfully of all when a shower has just 

 fallen, and when, before the last drops are down, 

 the sun is shining in what we call April fashion. 

 Does he rejoice to see the rainbow in the sky 

 or to think of the worms that the warm rain will 

 bring forth ? 



When we hear the chaffinch and the yellow- 

 hammer sing side by side, we are tempted to wonder 

 whether the classifiers have done well to place 

 them far apart, describing one as a finch and the 

 other as a bunting. The song of each is much the 

 same twitter, and seems to end on much the same 

 note. At any rate, the construction is but one 

 for the two songs, which resemble besides only 

 those of the corn bunting and the greenfinch. 

 The ' little bit o' bread and no cheese ' of the 

 yellow-hammer is universally known. Not so 

 happy have been the attempts to vocalize the 

 chaffinch's shorter song. ' Come my love and 



