26 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



some distance away, but increasing in force noticeably to the end, per- 

 haps becoming almost shrill and disclosing the ventriloquist near by on 

 a lower limb, head up, motionless at first but finally shaking himself 

 from head to tail in emphatic utterances of his last syllables. The per- 

 formance is greatly enhanced in effect by a full woodland echo. This 

 was formally supposed to be the full extent of the Oven birds' full capac- 

 ity, even Wilson, Audubon and Nuttall discovering nothing more; but 

 when Mr. Burroughs, a sort of delightful dramatic observer, came into 

 the field, he called attention to this bird's extatic song flight. 



He says: "Mounting by easy flights to the top of the tallest tree, he 

 launches into the air with a sort of suspended, hovering flight, like cer- 

 tain of the Finches, and bursts into a perfect ecstacy of song,clear,ring- 

 ing, copious, rivalling the Goldfinches in vivacity, and the Linnets in 

 melody. This strain is one of the rarest bits of bird melody to be heard, 

 and is oftenest indulged in, late in the afternoon or after sundown." 



This description is very accurate. I seldom heard this song, however, 

 while in the north, but on coming to Maryland I found it to be a com- 

 mon ornithological entertainment. In the forest around my field, there 

 is a pair located every few rods, and the beautiful song flight is a com- 

 mon occurance about sunset or even on cloudy days, in fact I have heard 

 it at about all hours of the night, and a beautiful song in the night is 

 enough to endear any bird to the heart of the insomnist. 



Rev. J. H. Langille, Kensington, Md. 



THE ASIATIC MERLE, 



In loooking for old acquaintances among the feathered neighbors 

 of China, it at first seemed that we had found Merula migratoria (Amer- 

 ican Robin) masquerading in a suit of black, so perfectly did actions 

 and voice agree with our old friend, but upon closer inspection this new 

 bird was found to be the Asiatic Merle, or Black Thrush. 



The Merle is about the size of the American Robin, and of a uniform 

 black color, with a bright yellow bill, and the tail somewhat fished. 



The female is the same as the male except that the front parts have 

 a tinge of rust color showing through the black, as though the trans- 

 formation from the American Robin had not been quite complete. 



Among the many sweet singers of the land of bird song, this bird is 

 among the first. Though he may seem to be dressed in deep mourn- 

 ing, his rich clear voice will soon convince you that he has nothing to 

 be sad about. Just at that uncertain time of the morning, when the 

 watcher is unable to tell whether night is fading into day, and ere the 



