128 ENGLISH AND AMERICAN SONG-BIRDS. 



no hinderance to the ear, it was so serene, liquid, 

 and, as it were, transparent : the lark's song has 

 nothing in common with it. Neither were the songs 

 of the many bobolinks in the meadow at all confusing 

 a brief tinkle of silver bells in the grass, while I 

 was listening for a sound more like the sharp and 

 continuous hum of silver wheels upon a pebbly beach. 

 Certain notes of the red-shouldered starlings in the 

 alders and swamp maples near by, the distant bar- 

 baric voice of the great crested fly-catcher, the jingle 

 of the kingbird, the shrill, metallic song of the sa- 

 vanna sparrow, and the piercing call of the meadow 

 lark, all stood more or less in the way of the strain 

 I was listening for, because every one had a touch of 

 that burr or guttural hum of the lark's song. The 

 ear had still other notes to contend with, as the 

 strong, bright warble of the tanager, the richer and 

 more melodious strain of the rose-breasted grosbeak, 

 the distant, brief, and emphatic song of the chewink, 

 the child-like contented warble of the red-eyed vireo, 

 the animated strain of the goldfinch, the softly ring- 

 ing notes of the bush-sparrow, the rapid, circling, 

 vivacious strain of the purple finch, the gentle lullaby 

 of the song-sparrow, the pleasing " wichery," " wich- 

 ery" of the yellow-throat, the clear whistle of the 

 oriole, the loud call of the high-hole, the squeak and 

 chatter of swallows, etc. But when the lark did rise 

 in full song, it was easy to hear him athwart all these 

 various sounds, first, because of the sense of altitude 

 his strain had, its skyward character, and then 



