54 THROUGH GLADE AND MEAD. 
those critics who are always canting about musical 
‘power’... for assigning the robin a very high rank 
as a singing bird. Let them say in the cant of modern 
criticism, that his performances cannot be great because 
they are faultless. It is enough for me that his mellow 
notes, heard at the earliest flush of dawn, in the busy 
hour of noon, or in the stillness of evening, come to the 
ear in a stream of unqualified melody. . . . The robin 
is surpassed by some other birds in certain qualities of 
song. The mocking-bird has more ‘power,’ the red 
thrush more variety, the bobolink more animation; but 
there is no bird that has fewer faults than the robin, or 
that would be more esteemed as a constant companion, 
—da vocalist for all hours, whose strains never tire and 
never offend. . . . The notes of the robin are all melo- 
dious, all delightful, loud without vociferation, mellow 
without monotony, fervent without ecstasy, and com- 
bining more of sweetness of tone, plaintiveness, cheer- 
fulness, and propriety of utterance than the notes of 
any other bird. The robin is the Philomel of morning 
twilight in New England and in all the northeastern 
states of this continent. If his sweet notes were want- 
ing, the mornings would be like a landscape without 
the rose, or a summer-evening sky without tints. He 
is the chief performer in the delightful anthem that 
welcomes the rising day. Of others the best are but 
accompaniments of more or less importance. Remove 
