A SERENE SPIRIT 285 



lives in constant terror of his life. No one 

 who has heard that song can believe other- 

 wise than that it comes from a serene and 

 blissful spirit. 



The flight-song is still more rare, and dif- 

 ferent, also. Not all birds are known to in- 

 dulge in that particular form of expression, 

 but discoveries are constantly being made, 

 and not infrequently another bird is added 

 to the list of those known to have a flight- 

 song. 



This utterance on the wing, while differ- 

 ing from the others, as said, usually in- 

 troduces a strain from the common song, or 

 the family call, which readily identifies the 

 singer. The oven-bird, for instance, while 

 pouring out his rhapsody, sailing about over 

 one's head in the dusk of late afternoon, in- 

 terpolates an occasional " teacher ! teacher ! " 

 which proclaims him at once. The bewitch- 

 ing little yellow-throat, while delivering him- 

 self on wing cannot refrain from a betraying 

 " o-we-chee ! " which is equivalent to shouting 

 his name. 



While songs differ with individuals, with 

 seasons, with emotions, even with age, there 



