The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak 223 



that his rose-breast showed to the best advantage. Not only 

 was he a beautiful bird, but his song was most delicious so 

 much so that I stopped and listened to it for several minutes. 

 I shall let Miss Blanchan describe his song and how he renders 

 it. She says : "Vibrating his wings after the manner of the 

 mocking bird, he pours forth a marvelously sweet, clear, mel- 

 low song (with something of the quality of the oriole's, robin's 

 and thrush's notes), making the day on which you first hear 

 it memorable. This is one of the birds that sing at night. A 

 soft, sweet, rolling warble, heard when the moon is at its full 

 on a midsummer night, is more than likely to come from the 

 rose-breasted grosbeak." And this inspired my friend, Miss 

 Mamie L. Bass, to write : 



"Across the stillness of the night 

 As witching as the soft moon's light, 



A clear, sweet, rolling note I heard 

 Pour forth from happy heart of bird; 



A wooer clad in colors bright, 



His coat of red, and black and white; 



A pleading prayer of love he sings, 

 A wealth of tenderness he brings. 



His modest, little mate so shy, 

 Who watches wistfully close by. 



Warm mother love throbs in her breast 

 As yearningly she guards her nest. 



He sings of woods, blue skies and hills, 

 With strange delight her soul he thrills. 



Sweet singer of the woodland bowers, 

 God make thy joy of living ours!" 



In Plant World, Elizabeth G. Britton says: "It has 

 been found that when the Colorado Beetle or potato bug start- 

 ed on its progress eastward it met with but little resistance 

 until it reached the State of Iowa. Here, so the story is told, 

 a farmer noticed that after anointing his potato vines with 

 Paris Green a number of rose-breasted grosbeaks lay dead on 

 the ground in the morning. He watched the birds and found 

 that they were bolting the objectionable insects with avidity. 



