THE OOLOGiST 



25 



billed and Yellow-billed cuckoos favor 

 us, but the former is more abundant. 



We uften hear that the best sinj^ers 

 are the ones of plainest dress, but this 

 is assuredly not so in all instances. If 

 one is permitted to listen to the sweet 

 refrain of the Scarlet Tanager in the 

 night, it will he acknowledged that the 

 brilliant coat of the songster does not 

 compare in point of excellence to the 

 owner's divine song. 



These birds are the only ones at the 

 north that I am acquainted with that 

 sing during the hours of darkness, and 

 not o' e of them is a regular singer 

 in the night. Icformation has reached 

 me from no less an authority than Mr. 

 Robert Ridgway of Washington, to the 

 eflfdct that the Yellow- breasted Coat is 

 a performer in darkness. 



Amoiig birds, the females do not 

 sing, and although many species have 

 musical call-notes and agreeable tones 

 in conversation, which are shared in 

 by both sexes still the true song is only 

 rendered by the male bird I am sin- 

 cere in saying that the lady bird talks 

 more than her mate about the house, 

 but I will admit that when away from 

 home she is very discreet in this re- 

 spect. In attending to her duties of 

 incubation she is very quiet, and it is 

 seldom that a note is heard from her 

 while on the nest. It has been said 

 that all birds are silent when incuba- 

 ting, so as to avoid observation, though 

 most species are quiet when setting, 

 there are a few which chirp loudly 

 when so engaged, and sooje even burst 

 into exuberant song. 



Few observers are aware how assid- 

 ous are the attentions of the two birds 

 to one another during incubation, and 

 the credit which is due to the father- 

 bird in hi"! devotion in covering the 

 eggs in his mate's absence is not allow- 

 ed him. 



Of course, when a bird is heard sing- 

 ing on the nest we know that the notes 

 come from the male, but many young 



observers are Inclined to attribute it to 

 the female. Another source of error 

 in failing to identify the sex occurs 

 with those species in which the male 

 assumes the plumage of the female un- 

 til the second or third year- 



The Chipping Sparrow sometimes 

 sings his chattering refrain while upon 

 the eggs. Yellow Warblers are not 

 rarely heard singing from the nest, but 

 one has to wait patiently in a neigh- 

 boring copse, at the proper season, in 

 order to see, hear and be convinced. 



I have once heard the Maryland Yel- 

 low-throat's song from its concealed nest 

 in the grass ;in fact I found the nest, from 

 hearing the peculiar notes, almost at 

 my feet. Several times the song of the 

 House Wren has reached me, coming 

 from the cavity where the old bird was 

 setiing solacing himself in his cavernous 

 nesting spot. 



Once, each, I have heard the notes 

 of the Black-billed Cuckoo, Scarlet Tan- 

 ager, Orchard Oriole, Goldtipch, Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeak, and the Hermit 

 Thrush, the latter the only thrush whose 

 song has positively reached me from 

 the nest. One would think that the 

 Brown Thrush, Catbird, and Robin, 

 as great singers, would burst forth on 

 the nest, but it must be borne in mind 

 that these thrushes prefer higher perch- 

 es for singing, while the Hermit is a 

 ground nester and often sings on the 

 ground. 



But of all the species which are musi- 

 cal while setting, the Warbling Vireo 

 heads the list, both for persistence and 

 for beauty of song, according to my 

 note-book. Anyone can listen to the 

 song of the Warbling Vireo on the nest 

 if the trouble is taken to find a nest 

 with eggs in May or June. For when 

 the mate takes his trick keeping the 

 eggs warin, he cheers himself, and en- 

 livens the surroundings by pouring 

 forth his rippling, inspiring melodious 

 warble. I have heard him sing from 

 the nest in early morning; in the hot- 



