Water Fowl 



in the best of songsters, accessories are needful 

 to enhance the charm — as, for example, in the 

 skylark, its ecstasy of motion ; in the thrush, its 

 noble posture of repose. Besides, the singing 

 season only lasts about a quarter of the year ; 

 and . yet how much delight the ornithologist 

 derives, from the end of summer till the follow- 

 ing spring, from the various characteristics of 

 the perfectly silent song birds, such as the win- 

 ter wren, the kinglet, snow-bird, crossbill, 

 white-throat, and goldfinch. How much pleas- 

 ure, too, one finds in the many migrant species 

 of this same class, that are with us a brief season 

 in the spring, but whose song is only to be 

 heard in their more northern homes. What an 

 amount of satisfaction is afforded even by the per- 

 fectly silent hermit thrush, whose exquisite form, 

 refinement of demeanor, and inimitably rich 

 modesty of plumage, are eclipsed only by the 

 very finest song. Moreover, in studying the 

 curious ways of all the woodpeckers, quite 

 likely it never occurs to the observer that his 

 pleasure is lessened because they never sing at 

 all ; nor does one study with less interest, be- 

 cause they are so mute or unmusical at all times, 

 the cedar bird, the humming-bird, the swallow, 

 the flycatcher, and all of the birds of prey. 



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