40 HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS. 
Coues, generally only technical in his description of 
the oscines, is impelled tov unbend in his treatment of 
this minstrel, and says: “Not another bird can rival 
the tenderness and softness of the liquid strains of this 
modest vocalist. Not born to ‘waste its sweetness on 
the desert air, the warbling vireo forsakes the depths 
of the woodland for the parks and orchards and shady 
streets, where it glides through the foliage of the tallest 
trees, the unseen messenger of rest and peace to the 
busy, dusty haunts of men.” 
The lengthened days of May bring back those match- 
less singers, the wood thrush and veery. Though late 
in their spring arrival, their seasons of song are longer 
than many that come earlier, often extending till late 
into August. 
The wood thrushes (Zurdus mustelinus) are quite 
generally distributed throughout the States, and are 
everywhere recognized as among the best of our wood- 
land choristers. Probably no other sound quite equals 
in sweetness and purity of tone the best notes of this 
bird. If he only would combine the notes and strains 
into a theme or continuous song, like that of the ves- 
per sparrow or bobolink, the music would surpass that 
of any other living creature. The notes are detached 
and the strains broken, and often preluded and inter- 
luded with guttural clucks like those of the redwing. 
We know him at his best at a distance, as we then get 
only the pure tones that have made him such a favorite. 
One charm of his singing is his habit of warbling the 
