Bobolink. Reed Bird. Rcei Bird 



Instead of the light-colored shirt and vest and decorous 

 dark coat sanctioned by the Worth of conventional bird 

 circles for centuries, this radical decks himself out in a 

 jet-black shirt and vest, with not so much as a white collar 

 to redeem him; besides having all of four almost white 

 patches on the back of his coat ! 



FLORENCE A. MERRIAM. Birds Through an Opera Glass. 2 



When the bobolinks go south they stop on the way, 

 first in the marshes, where they are known as "Reed- 

 birds," and then in the rice-fields of South Carolina and 

 Georgia, where they are known as " Rice-birds. " 



FLORENCE A. MERRIAM. Birds of Village and Field. 1 



He turns lightly about and breaks out with a song 

 precisely analogous to a burst of gay and self-satisfied 

 laughter, as much as to say, "Ha! ha! ha! I must have 

 my fun, Miss Silverthimble, thimble, thimble, if I break 

 every heart in the meadow, see, see, see!" 



BURROUGHS. Birds and Poets. 10 



From time to time during a long period of years I have 

 added an occasional note or two to my singular vocabulary 

 caught from this meadow doggerel. . . . Here is the 



list copied from my random notes 



"Bob-o- link o' love o' lucky o' linkum o' linkum a 

 jingle a jingle a ditty bob for bonny Missus Linkum see 

 see keep an eye up here my sweet see see hear me tinkle 



31 



