JULY. 339 



often wondered that the almost simultaneous utterance of so 

 many different notes should produce no discords, and that 

 they should result in such complete harmony. In this mul- 

 titudinous confusion of voices, no two notes are confounded, 

 and none has sufficient duration to grate harshly with a dis- 

 similar sound. Though each performer sings only a few 

 strains and then makes a pause, the whole multitude succeed 

 each other with such rapidity that we hear an uninterrupted 

 flow of music, until the broad light of day invites them to 

 other employments. 



Before the birds can see well enough to fly, you may ob- 

 serve, here and there, a single swallow perched on the roof 

 of a barn or shed, repeating two twittering notes incessantly, 

 with a quick turn and a hop at every note he utters. It 

 would seem to be the design of the bird to attract the atten- 

 tion of his mate, and this motion seems to be made to assist 

 her in discovering his position. As soon as there is sufficient 

 light to enable them to fly, this twittering strain is uttered 

 more like a continued song, as they flit rapidly through the 

 air. But at this later moment the martins have commenced 

 their more melodious chattering, so loudly as to attract for a 

 while the most of our attention. There is not a sound in 

 nature so cheering and animating as the voice of the purple 

 martin, and none so well calculated to drive away melancholy. 

 Though not one of the earliest voices to be heard, the chorus 

 is perceptibly more loud and effective when this bird has 

 united with the choir. 



When the flush of morning has brightened into vermilion, 

 and the place from which the sun is soon to emerge has at- 

 tained a dazzling brilliancy; the robins are already less tune- 

 ful. 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 

 iheir subterranean retreats. But as the voice of the robins 

 has ceased, the bobolinks commence their vocal revelries; 

 and to a fanciful mind it might seem that the robins had 

 gradually resigned their part in the performance to the bobo- 



