AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY 



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ground bird, mottled brown and yellowish upper parts and lighter 

 beneath so that she is but little noticed as she slips in and out among 

 the grass looking after her affairs. From the time of their arrival un- 

 til after the young have left the nest, the male Bobolinks are bubbling 

 over with song, a rollicking jingle that has been immortalized by many 

 literary geniuses both in verse and prose. These pen pictures of Bob- 

 olink music do but scant justice however to what the bird is capable of. 

 Possibly an expert player on the mandolin might with a great deal of 

 practice be able to give a fair imitation of the song, but I have never 

 heard it. 



Photo by C. H. Morrell. 



NEST OF BOBOLINK. 



Their nest, concealed in the long grass of the meadow is hard to find 

 both from the fact that it is well concealed and also because the male Bob- 

 olink is a good guardian and always warns his mate when you are coming, 

 so that she may glide away through the grass unseen. The highest 

 point of an apple tree or the top of some particularly imposing stone on 

 the wall are his chosen spots from which to look for danger and to serve 



