TWELVE WINTER BIRDS. 



275 



call. I was thrilled with delight, for I recognized 



instantly the spring note of an old acquaintance, the 



great Carolina wren. Few, indeed, 



are the winter days when this, the 

 Carolina Wren. J 



characteristic, vernal love call is ut- 

 tered; but the "sunny, southern" breeze had brought 

 joy also to the wren's heart, and forgetful of season 

 forgetful of the many cold, dreary days which must 

 intervene before the call could be rightfully issued 

 conscious only of the warm and soothing sunshine, 

 the singer made the welkin ring for rods around. 



The wren was not visible, and was much farther 

 away than I 

 thought, when 

 I started to- 

 ward the seem- 

 ing source of 

 the song. The 

 resonant quali- 

 ty of its note r 

 caused, as it 

 were, the whole 

 copse to ring ' 

 with the sound, 

 thus deaden- 

 ing, to a certain 

 extent, the di- 

 rection from 

 whence it 



came Fig. 77 Great Carolina Wren. (After Coues.) 



After some ten minutes' search, during which the 

 notes were stopped a number of times and then re- 



