A FEATHERED PARSON. 13Y 



" A pair may often be observed scarce a foot apart 

 on the same branch performing a concert, for both 

 sexes sing. The notes are rich and varied, now re- 

 sembUng the striking together of metallic rods, then 

 a long-dravv^n sigh, a warble and a sob, followed by a 

 note of great sweetness like a touch on the high 

 stops of an organ. One of its finest notes is a clear, 

 silvery toll, followed by a toll, and then another 

 toll ; the performance lasting sometimes an hour or 

 more. 



" This is generally heard at the close of the day, 

 or just before the bird betakes itself to roost for the 

 night. . . . At other times it may be heard uttering 

 a sweet, warbling note, followed by a sneeze, after 

 that a pause, and then a sharp cry of tu-whit, tu-whit, 

 00 — a pause again, and then its warbling note with 

 variations, very soft and liquid, but ending abruptly 

 in a sound like the breaking of glass." 



The parson bird builds a large, well-constructed 

 nest. Selecting the fork of some bushy shrub, it lays 

 a foundation, a few feet from the ground, of stout 

 twigs or dry sticks ; upon this it builds its walls of 

 coarse moss and lichens, and last of all lines the struc- 

 ture with fine, soft grass. The eggs are white, pow- 

 dered with reddish-brown spots and specks. The 

 babies when first hatched are almost entirely naked, 

 but a warm coat of feathers is soon supplied by kind 

 Mother Nature, and the little ones grow rapidly. 



The parson bird rears two broods a year, which is 

 fortunate, considering the fact that the bird, which 

 has, comparatively speaking, been little known to 

 11 



