TOWHBE, OR CHBWINK. 171 



and the lover of Nature could hardly strike a more secluded and interesting place for 

 his rambles. From the deep rich mould of decaying trees lying prostrate on the ground, 

 immense specimens of ferns emerged. The twin-flower', the Jeffersonia^ the moccasin 

 flower', the yellow lady's slipper*, the wintergreen and partridge berry^, the trientalis 

 and bunch-berry" flourished almost side by side. In some shady nooks large spaces 

 were covered by the deep green pine moss'. Dog's-tooth violets, hepaticas, the spring 

 beauty' and blood-root were the first flowers to open. Among the shrubs, at those 

 days, the buffalo berry*, the sheep-berry", the red-branched dog-wood, the June-berry, 

 and the many wild cherry and plum trees attracted my attention. The fragrance of 

 the blossoming trees and shrubs, of which 1 have mentioned only a few, the invigorat- 

 ing aromatic odor exhaled by the white pines and the young leaves of the black birches, 

 the air ringing with bird song, made a deep and lasting impression on my mind. In 

 later years I have rambled among America's most beautiful trees, the grand evergreen 

 magnolias, among flowering rhododendrons, azaleas, and mountain laurels, among live 

 oaks and palmettos ; I have walked underneath trees festooned with garlands of flower- 

 ing bignonias, trumpet creeper, and Carolina jasmine ; I have spent many hours under 

 trees covered entirely with the gray festoons of Spanish moss ; I have gathered spider- 

 lilies" and crinums*^ on the banks of the St. John's River and Lake Apopka in Florida; I 

 have inhaled with delight the fragrance of the sweet bay in Louisiana and have roamed 

 for years through the woods of Texas and southern Missouri and rejoiced in them all, — 

 but that indescribable freshness and loveliness, above referred to, I have found only in 

 the coniferous woodlands of my native State. When I returned after many years from 

 the South and revisited my old haunts, the woods had been converted into fields, the 

 shrubbery and swamp were no more, and only a few Rose-breasted, Grosbeaks and 

 Cedarbirds reminded me of that poetical spot of my boyhood. 



One of the characteristic birds of the above described locality was the Towhee or 

 Chewink. I used to look for this lively and sprightly tenant of the woods when the 

 wild plum and the June-berry tree were in full flower, although I found later that it 

 arrives at least fully a week or two earlier. Shortly after its arrival our bird is rarely 

 heard, but as soon as the season opens with mild air and flowering trees and shrubs, 

 the Chewink's metallic notes are sounding loudly through the forest. Late in May and 

 in June the concert of the woodland choir is unsurpassingly beautiful. Then we hear 

 the loud and varied song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the flute-like notes of the 

 Scarlet Tanager ; from the murmuring brook the indescribable song of the Veery falls on 

 our ear ; the thickets resound with the song of the Catbird and the liquid strain of the 

 Thrasher. Blue Jays scream and Flickers and Red-headed Woodpeckers are drumming 

 on hollow limbs. A great number of minor notes can be distinguished among the voices 

 of this bird concert. The loudest and most characteristic of all the sounds of this vernal 

 bird jubilee are those of the Towhee ; they are very peculiar, reminding one of a cymbal, 

 but they are much more animated and beautiful. This call sounds distinctly like 

 tow-bee or cbe-wink. Hence the bird's common names Towhee, Chewink, Joreet, Charee, 



1 l.innsea borealis. « Jeffersonia diphylla. a Cypripedium spectabile. < Cypripediam pabesceas. » Gaultberia 

 procumbeas and Mitcbella repens. « Cornus Caaadensis. '' Lycopodium dendroideum. « Claytoaia Virgiaica 

 9 sbepberdia Canadensis, to Yibwaum Leatago. ii Hymenocallis lacera. a Crinum Americanum, 



