68 HOW TO STUDY BIRDS 



of these syllables, at the same rate or tempo, in as- 

 cending scale, each note a little higher than the pre- 

 ceding. The song of the field sparrow is similar, 

 only that these " zee-zee " notes begin slow and are 

 delivered faster and faster toward the end. Or we 

 might describe a familiar song of the black-throated 

 green warbler, lazily droned from the tall pines, by 

 both methods, " a-a, see-e, ze-ze-ze, zee," or " Ah, 

 see, listen to me." 



Though comparisons are said to be odious, when it 

 comes to helping to learn bird-songs, they are very 

 useful and honorable. Dr. L. B. Bishop, describing 

 to me the song of the worm-eating warbler, put it in 

 a delightfully fresh and epigrammatic fashion calcu- 

 lated to stick in the memory. " If you hear a chippy 

 sing in the woods, it is a worm-eater." From such a 

 description one could go right out, in a region which 

 the bird frequented and find it, even if he hadjnever 

 heard nor seen it before. Here is another, the 

 song of the blackpoll warbler sounds like the rapid 

 clinking of two pebbles together. How easily one 

 can recognize the sound of those pebbles from elm or 

 orchard the last of May! 



Suppose, now, we are out for a walk in early April. 

 Probably the first thing we hear is the loud caroling 

 of the robin. That is a fundamental sound. Later 

 we must note the difference between it and the Balti- 

 more oriole's clear flute-notes, and the sweet, more 

 continuous warble of the rose-breasted grosbeak. 

 The song sparrow's pretty melody arises on all sides. 



