250 HISTORY OF 



drawling, trembling ; now at the top, tbe middle, and the bot- 

 tom of the scale ! In short, in that little bill seems to reside all 

 the melody which man has vairdy laboured to bring from a vari- 

 ety of musical instruments. Some even seem to be possessed 



vigorous and prptty g-ood songster; mounting to the tops of tlie highest 

 trees, and chanting fur lialf an hour at a time. His song is a repetition of 

 short notes, commencing loud and rapid, and falling by imperceptible gra- 

 dations, till they seem hardly articulate, as if the little minstrel were quite 

 exhausted. After a pause of about half a minute, he begins as before. Un- 

 like most other birds, he chants with as much animation under the meri- 

 dian sun in June as he does in a May morning. 



The Song Sparrow is by far the earliest, sweetest, and most unwearied 

 of the American song birds, sometimes continuing iu song during the whole 

 year. His note, or rather chant, is short but very sweet ; somewhat re- 

 sembling the begimiing of the canary's song, frequently repeated for an 

 hoiu- together. 



The whole song of the Black-throated Bunting consists of five, or rather 

 two, notes ; the first repeated twice and very slowly, the third thrice and 

 rapidly, resembling chip.diip, che-che-che ; of wliich ditty he is by no means 

 parsimonious, but will continue it for hours successively. His manners are 

 much like those of the European yellow-hammer, sitting, while he sings, 

 on palings and low bushes. 



The song of the Rice Bird is highly musical. Mounting and hovering on 

 the «ing, at a small height above the ground, he chants out a jingling 

 melody of varied notes, as if half a dozen birds were singing together. Some 

 idea may be formed of it, by striking the liigh keys of a piano-forte singly and 

 quickly, making as many contrasts as possible, of high and low notes. 

 Many of the tones are delightful, but the ear can with difficulty sep:u-ate 

 them. The general effect of the whole is fjood ; and when ten or twelve 

 are singing on the same tree, the concert is singularly pleasing. 



The Scarlet Tana'jer has a pensive monotonous note, like chip, churr, 

 which appears distant, though the bird be near. At times he has a more 

 musical chant, something like that of the Baltimore oriole. He is none of 

 the meanest of the American songsters, and his pliuuage renders him a 

 striking ornament to the woodland scenery. 



The note of the Summer Red Bird is a strong sonorous whistle, resem- 

 bling a loose trill, or shake, on the notes of a fife, frequently repeated. That 

 of the female is rather a kind of chattering, like a rapid enunciation of 

 chicke;i-tuckey-tuck. 



The Shore Lark has a single chirp, exactly like the European skylark ; 

 and it is reported that, in the country where it breeds, it sings well while 

 mounting in the air. 



The Maryland Yellow Throat has a twitter not disagreeable, somewhat 

 like iphitititee, thrice repeated ; after which it pauses for half a minute, and 

 begins again the same ditty. 



The Ked-eyed Flycatcher has a loud, lively, and energetic song, which is 

 continued sometimes for an hour without intermission. The notes are, in 

 sliort, emphatic bars of two, three, or four syllables. On listening to this 

 bird, 111 his full ardour of song, it requires but little imagination to fancy 



