BIRDS AND BIRDS. 149 



all, but a harsh chatter that is unmatched among our 

 birds. But what a hardy, prolific, pugnacious little 

 wretch it is ! They will maintain themselves where 

 our birds will not live at all, and a pair of them will 

 lie down in the gutter and fight like dogs. Com- 

 pared with this miniature John Bull, the voice and 

 manners of our common sparrow are gentle and re- 

 tiring. The English sparrow is a street gamin, our 

 bird a timid rustic. 



The English robin-redbreast is tallied in this coun- 

 try by the bluebird, which was called by the early 

 settlers of New England the blue-robin. The song 

 of the British bird is bright and animated ; that of 

 our bird soft and plaintive. 



The nightingale stands at the head in Barrington's 

 table, and is but little short of perfect in all the 

 qualities. We have no one bird that combines such 

 strength or vivacity with such melody. The mock- 

 ing-bird doubtless surpasses it in variety and profu- 

 sion of notes ; but falls short, I imagine, in sweetness 

 and effectiveness. The nightingale will sometimes 

 warble twenty seconds without pausing to breathe, 

 and when the condition of the air is favorable its 

 song fills a space a mile in diameter. There are, 

 perhaps, songs in our woods as mellow and brilliant, 

 as is that of the closely allied species, the water- 

 thrush ; but our bird's song has but a mere fraction 

 of the nightingale's volume and power. 



Strength and volume of voice, then, seem to be 

 characteristic of the English birds, and mildness and 



