150 



THE OOLOGIST 



to name the songster. This is well ex- 

 emplified in the names Whip-poor-will, 

 Kill-deer, Bob-white and a dozen others. 

 Then there are scores of others which 

 are known by meaningless names; 

 names, however, which are familiar to 

 us and which almost exactly express 

 the call-notes or songs. Under this 

 class we find the Chick-a-dee, the Che- 

 bec, Plum-pud-den and Peet-weet. 



Many of these notes can be greatly 

 varied and still meet our requirements, 

 but we have relied upon them so long 

 that usage makes them next to inde- 

 spensible. When in the south 'I first 

 heard the notes of the Chuck-wiU's- 

 widow, a species nearly allied to our 

 northern Whip-poor-will, but could not 

 fully satisfy myself that the name and 

 notes corresponded, but after becoming 

 familiar with the nightly seranades, the 

 notes resolved into the accepted name. 

 Northern-born people who have moved 

 to the South nearly all call this species 

 the Whip-poor-will, not recognizing 

 the difference in the notes; yet, surely, 

 if the songs differ to an extent equal to 

 the English p^onounciation of the 

 names, then the difference ought to be 

 quickly recognized. 



To one familiar with the songs and 

 call notes of our birds, the association 

 of the sound with the performer is in- 

 stantaneous on hearing it. Neverthe- 

 less it is quite a rare thing for a strang- 

 er to identify a- species by its notes, no 

 matter how much alike are its name 

 and notes. Yet it is easy for all to rec- 

 ognize the Jay-jay in which the harsh 

 screams of the Blue Jay, after the at- 

 tention has been called to it. No better 

 name could describe our little door- 

 yard flycatcher than the sound Phoebe, 

 and yet it is also called Pee- wee as well, 

 and both from a fancied resemblance to 

 its short song. 



I have tried to copy the familiar Rob- 

 in's song many times, but have dis- 

 carded all attemps as regards English 

 words. Still the following, as some ob- 



servers may fancy, fairly describes the 

 soft utterances: ^^keeler-keeler-henry, 

 willimn-wiUiam-henry; william-henry- 

 keeler,'' and so on indefinitely. The 

 Meadowlark is flying over the fleld or 

 wading about in the grass utters in a 

 plaintive key the words "dear children"'. 

 If we pass near a marshy tract we hear 

 the Redwings uttering their quick call- 

 note, as they fly above their nests in the 

 rushes, or the male ruffling himself on 

 a branch will issue his cher - e - e - e. 

 From a clump of bushes near come the 

 notes ka-weechy, uttered from four to 

 nine times by the Maryland Yellow- 

 throat. He then dives into the brnsh 

 and rank grass and gives us a series of 

 fine scolding notes. As we pass he 

 challenges us with tackle-rne tackle-me, 

 or as you may call it, witchey-witchey . 

 The Bronzed Grackles are calling to 

 one another spank-spank, and now and 

 then a lustrous male grinds out 

 schleranch, repeating it three times, to 

 which Mrs. Grackle replies with schle' 

 ree scree-scree, which is the extent of 

 their musical ability. 



Away out in the marsh are a couple 

 of those queer birds, the thunder pump- 

 er, as the American Bittern is often 

 called. The name is given from their 

 peculiar movements made when sing- 

 ing, so to speak. The song of spring 

 and love floats to us in thunderous un- 

 dulations, plum-pud- den repeated four 

 to six times. This bird often called the 

 stake-driver, has another peculiar note 

 or song from which it gets one name. 

 The sound is exactly like ka-whack, 

 uttered from three to six times and 

 closely resembles stake driving with a 

 maul. So perfect is the resemblance 

 that it is a common occurance for a 

 stranger to the bird to look about for 

 a laborer at work. From the lake come 

 the wild, unearthly notes of the Loon 

 or Great-Northern diver, ko-a-whee-loo- 

 loo, or again, key -hoe reverbrating and 

 penetrating. 



Returning towards the farm house. 



