Song Birds and Water Fowl 



latter more distant and harmlessly aristocratic ; 

 somewhat more refined in their nature, too, 

 which both justifies and even compels a certain 

 measure of reserve. The robin is the bird for 

 every day ; the thrush for state occasions. To 

 me, the veery is one of the most tantalizing of 

 all birds — as disobliging in his performances as 

 a spoiled prima donna. Potentially he may be 

 equal to the wood thrush, but practically he is 

 quite inferior. It may be too severe a criticism 

 to call him half-hearted in his art, but a little 

 absent-minded he certainly seems to be, with 

 that soliloquizing, sotto voce sort of strain which 

 is the foretaste of what never comes ; like the 

 cardinal grosbeak's preamble. It would be a 

 great mistake if all our songsters were as vocif- 

 erous as the whippoorwill, as ecstatic as the 

 wren, or as gushing as the goldfinch. Occa- 

 sional reserve and melancholy form a cool, dark 

 background that enhances all the warmer, 

 brighter tints in nature's symphony. One la- 

 menting pewee is an incomparable blessing to 

 all other songsters in the neighborhood. And 

 yet, in listening to the Wilson thrush, one must 

 feel that he would like to spur him on a little, 

 just to test his full capacity for once, and see 

 what he might do under the impulse of a really 

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