10 BIRD-SONGS ABOUT WORCESTER. 



before the arrival of the countless hosts 

 of others, which will soon make their ap- 

 pearance from the South. I trust, also, 

 that I shall be able to facilitate this study 

 by the method I shall adopt of describing 

 actual walks about Worcester, and of re- 

 ferring continually to well-known and ac- 

 cessible localities. 



Yesterday was a cloudless April day, 

 and the sun tempered the chilliness in the 

 air caused by the snow-banks along the 

 roadside. As I walked up Highland Street 

 by Mr. Salisbury's house, my ears were 

 at once saluted by the pretty trills of the 

 song-sparrow (mefosptea melodid) issuing 

 from the orchard and fields west of the 

 house. At this season this beautiful singer 

 cannot be mistaken, uttering three or four 

 pipes, or whistles, followed by canary-like 

 trills and quavers, not very loud, but 

 spirited and vivacious. There is, perhaps, 

 no other of our birds whose song varies so 

 much in detail and execution, though the 

 quality and theme are always the same, 

 and sometimes the same singer will give 



