128 FAMILIAR FEATURES OF THE ROADSIDE. 



the early morning, his notes are extremely varied and 

 expressive. Here arc some of them : 



We-o We-o 



/)^y\ 



z-zz-zZ whir-r 



spink-itik-wheo-e -ah--g< 



But whether he is nearly related to the thrushes 

 or not, the fact remains that his songs are neither 

 of silver nor of gold ; and, figuratively speaking, 

 these precious metals are melted into music as soon 

 as the hermit and the Wilson thrushes open their 

 throats ! 



This reminds me of the fact that the voices of 

 birds are more varied and musical than those of any 

 other creatures in the world. 

 Even the rooster has a tune- 

 ful crow — 



The cat tribe roars and mews 

 and hisses ; that is all. But 

 the birds ! — is there any end 

 to their powers of vocaliza- 

 tion ? They can chirrup, chip, caw, whip-poor-will, 

 whistle, chick-a-dee, hoot, howl, cackle, crow, gobble, 

 quack, drum, cluck, chirp like crickets, mew like 

 cats, talk like human beings, cry like babies, squeak 

 like cart wheels ; in fine, beyond their own exten- 

 si-ve ri^ertoire of musical and unmusical sounds, they 



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Cock- a-doo-dle do, 



tt 



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