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, tee-yUrrh tee-yurrh, or chr'r'r'r'rh. 

 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 katetedid, katetedid, 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 Uquids tones the simple toweet toweet toweet. 

 The tremulous trill of the Pine Warbler is then recollected, 

 and tr' t' r' r^ r' r' rh is whistled. In the next breath comes his 

 imitation of the large Woodpecker,^ woity woity woity and 

 wotchy wotchy wotchy, or tshovee tshovee ishof, and tshooadee 

 tshooddee ishooadeet, then varied to tshuvai tshuvai tshuvat, and 

 toovaiiah toovaiiah toovai'iatoo. Next comes perhaps his more 

 musical and pleasing version of the Blackbird's short song, 

 wotdtshee wottitshee wottitshee. To the same smart tune is 

 now set a chosen part of the drawling song of the Meadow 

 Lark, precede precedo preceet, then varied, recede recede 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 vit-yii vit-yii vit-yu, and vishnu vishnu 



VOL. I. — 18 



