196 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



AMERICAN SONGSTERS, 



Mrs, Irving Knight. 



Song birds endear themselves to us more from association and sug- 

 gestion than from excellence of their musical qualities. The song that 

 is the simplest will appeal infinitely more to the heart according to the 

 coloring of its back ground. It should be a rare pleasure and one of 

 the joys of living to cultivate a love and knowledge of the little feath- 

 ered songsters. It is they who furnish nature's music and to vibrate 

 with her harmony one must learn to listen to her music. The plaintive 

 note of the Blue-bird, the Song Sparrow ditty or the Robin's bright 

 carol, sets many an American heart throbbing with the touch of treas- 

 ured memories. The song birds may educate us in the holiest emotions 

 of life and in the finer spiritual perceptions if we will but listen. 



Let us go into the realm of bird life and learn how each and all sing 

 their various songs. It is a fairy-land filled with the sound of grand 

 bird choruses in warbles, chants, musical calls, trills and squeaks. 



Among the American birds the best songsters are probably the Mock- 

 ing-bird, Wood Thrush, House Wren, Winter Wren, Song Sparrow, Fox 

 Sparrow, Maryland Yellow-throat, Vesper Sparrow, Purple Finch, In- 

 digo bird and Hermit Thrush. 



The Mocking-bird's natural haunt is the southland. It's song prob- 

 ably surpasses that of any bird in the world, in point of compass, va- 

 riety and execution. It is the only night singer in America. Other 

 songsters, among which are the Cuckoo, and the Kingbird send occasion- 

 al bursts of song startlingly out into the night air, but it sounds more 

 like the fitful outbursts of disturbed sleep. 



Birds are very likely to be attracted to pleasant meadow lands, 

 sprinkled with wild flowers, trees and bushes, with bits of wooded land 

 near about. I have been in the midst of such a landscape in early spring 

 and heard grand bird choruses, made up of from fifteen to twenty dif- 

 ferent kinds of bird voices. The beauty of this melody, with Nature as 

 Director, sent waves of joyous feeling coursing over me. There was a 

 medley of both big and little songs in all keys, coming forth from the 

 trees, bushes, grass — everywhere. 



From some bushes in the background came the shrill, supple, rather 

 feminine song of the Cat-bird, and from the top of a near by oak tree I 

 heard the louder, richer and more audacious song of the Brown Thrash- 

 er. The Cat-bird and the Brown Thrasher are related to the Mocking- 

 bird. Their songs are a series of vocal feats, corresponding to the cul- 

 tivated human voice. They even give their songs at times a ventriloquial 

 touch. 



