CAROLINA WREN. 273 
as the weather becomes inclement. On the banks of the 
Patapsco, near Baltimore, their song is still heard to the close 
of November. 
Our bird has all the petulance, courage, industry, and famili- 
arity of his particular tribe. He delights to survey the mean- 
ders of peaceful streams, and dwell amidst the shady trees 
which adorn their banks. His choice seems to convey a taste 
for the picturesque and beautiful in Nature, himself, in the 
foreground, forming one of the most pleasing attractions of 
the scene. Approaching the waterfall, he associates with its 
murmurs the presence of the Kingfisher, and modulating the 
hoarse rattle of his original into a low, varied, desponding note, 
he sits on some depending bough by the stream, and calls, at 
intervals, in a slow voice, “e-yurrh tee-yurrh, or chr’r'r’rrh. 
In the tall trees by the silent stream, he recollects the lively, 
common note of the Tufted Titmouse, and repeats the peto peto 
peto peet, or his peevish katétédid, katétédid, katedid, While 
gleaning low, amidst fallen leaves and brushwood, for hiding 
and dormant insects and worms, he perhaps brings up the note 
of his industrious neighbor, the Ground Robin, and sets to his 
own sweet and liquids tones the simple /oweet foweet toweet. 
The tremulous trill of the Pine Warbler is then recollected, 
and ¢rrr'rr'rh is whistled. In the next breath comes his 
imitation of the large Woodpecker, worty wotty woity and 
wotchy wotchy wotchy, or tshovee tshovee tshof, and tshooddee 
tshooadee tshooadeet, then varied to tshuvai tshuvat tshuvat, and 
toovaitah toovatiah toovaiiatoo. Next comes perhaps his more 
musical and pleasing version of the Blackbird’s short song, 
wottitshee wotthitshee wottitshee. To the same smart tune is 
now set a chosen part of the drawling song of the Meadow 
Lark, precédo precédo preceet, then varied, recédo recédo receet 
and ‘tecedo tecedo teceet; or changing to a bass key, he tunes 
sooteet sooteet soot. Once, I heard this indefatigable mimic 
attempt delightfully the warble of the Bluebird in the month of 
February. The bold whistle of the Cardinal Bird is another 
of the sounds he delights to imitate and repeat in his own 
quaint manner ; such as wtyw vit-yu vit-yu, and vishnu vishnu 
VOL. I. — 18 
