INTRODUCTION. XV 
latter a true Lark, singing while suspended in mid-air, exactly in the manner of a Sky 
Lark; in all, twenty-five species and perhaps fifty individuals. Is such a rich medley of 
bird music often, if ever, excelled in England? It is true that neither the Sky Lark nor 
the Nightingale nor the Song Thrush were included, but they were each represented, and 
well represented too; the first, if not by the Prairie Lark, whose manner of singing is 
identical, but whose song is comparatively feeble, then by his namesake the Meadow 
Lark, of which Wilson—himself a Scotchman—says that, although it ‘cannot boast the 
powers of song’ which distinguish the Sky Lark, ‘yet in richness of plumage as well as 
in sweetness of voice.... stands eminently its superior’; the second by the Mocking- 
bird, whose song is unrivaled for its combination of richness, variety, compass, volu- 
bility, and vivacity; and the third by the Brown Thrasher, whose energetic, powerful, 
and untiring melody is said to closely resemble in modulation that of the Song Thrush. 
Not less than half a dozen of the remaining species are songsters of very pronounced 
merit, probably equalling, in one quality or another of song, the best of Bunn 
singers, excepting that celebrated trio, the Nightingale, Song Thrush, and Sky Lark. . 
“Alexander Wilson, the ‘Father of American Ornithology,’—a Scotchman, by the 
way—and Thomas Nuttall, an Englishman, both praise our Bluebird in unqualified 
terms, and also the House Wren, the Purple Martin, and some others. 
“There is no bird in England—not even the semi-domestic Robin Redbreast — which 
is more easily encouraged to seek human society than the Bluebird; certainly none are 
so beautiful and none more lovable in every way. The modest little Chipping Sparrow 
is even more easily encouraged, and it is equally deserving of encouragement, for, though 
neither beautiful in plumage nor sweet of voice, he has a trim little form, a saucy red 
cap, and the most confiding manner, often, in the villages and at the farm-houses, 
attending the meals of the family and picking up crumbs which are thrown out the door, 
or, should the table be set out on the verandah or beneath the arbor, gathering them 
from among the feet of those sitting at the table. This trim little bird, which can so 
easily be made a household pet, is extremely useful in destroying injurious insects, is 
particularly beneficial to the garden, and is especially fond of the cabbage worm, of 
which one pair would keep a moderate sized garden quite free. The House Wren is, as 
his name implies, one of our semi-domestic birds, and, being exclusively insectivorous, 
is one of the most useful, while his cheerful, sprightly warble renders him excellent good 
company. Wilson characterizes the song of the House Wren as ‘loud, sprightly, tremu- 
lous, and repeated every few seconds with great animation,’ and says that ‘in strength 
of tone and execution, it is far superior’ to that of the English species. The Purple 
Martin, largest, handsomest, and most musical of all the Swallow tribe, i is not only an 
agreeable companion, but is also extremely useful as a destroyer of insects, which exclu- 
sively constitute its food, and as a protection to the farmer from Hawks and Crows, 
against the depredations of which there can be no better safeguard, since not one of these 
predatory birds dares approach the vicinity of a pair, much less a colony, of Purple 
Martins. — The birds which are specially mentioned above are, with the Robin and Cathird 
(and, west of the Alleghanies, the Blue Jay), pre-eminently our most familiar species; 
but there are many others which are most at home in our orchards or among the 
* In order to avoid repetition I refer the reader to page 80 and 81 of this work. 
