260 NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND BIRDS 



or off, but soon begin again. Do any other birds sing 

 in such deafening concert ? 



March 18, 1853. Several times I hear and see black- 

 birds flying north singly, high overhead, chucking as if to 

 find their mates, migrating; or are they even now getting 

 near their own breeding-place? Perchance these are 

 blackbirds that were hatched here, — that know me ! 



March 29, 1853. It would be worth the while to at- 

 tend more to the different notes of the blackbirds. Me- 

 thinks I may have seen the female red-wing within a 

 day or two ; or what are these purely black ones without 

 the red shoulder? 1 It is pleasant to see them scattered 

 about on the drying meadow. The red-wings will stand 

 close to the water's edge, looking larger than usual, 

 with their red shoulders very distinct and handsome in 

 that position, and sing oholee, or bob-y-lee, or what-not. 

 Others, on the tops of trees over your head, out of a 

 fuzzy beginning spit forth a clear, shrill whistle inces- 

 santly, for what purpose I don't know. Others, on the 

 elms over the water, utter still another note, each time 

 lifting their wings slightly. Others are flying across the 

 stream with a loud char-r, char-r. 



April 4, 1853. After turning Lee's Cliff I heard, 

 methinks, more birds singing even than in fair weather, 

 — tree sparrows, whose song has the character of the 

 canary's, F. hyemalis's chill-lill, the sweet strain of the 

 fox-colored sparrow, song sparrows, a nuthatch, jays, 

 crows, bluebirds, robins, and a large congregation of 

 blackbirds. They suddenly alight with great din in a 

 stubble-field just over the wall, not perceiving me and 



1 [This was before he had learned to distinguish the rusty blackbird.] 



