92 



FAMILIAR LIFE IN FIELD AND FOREST. 



more accomplished musician cousin. Still, the veery's 

 song is the most romantic and suggestive one of the 

 twilight hour in spring. His notes are characterized 

 by a reedlike quality, which I will liken again to the 

 tones of a harmonicon. No other bird has a voice 

 like his ; it can best be imitated by humming a low 

 tone and whistling a high one ; and it sounds as 

 though the little owner was being swung in four suc- 

 cessive circles through the air. Somebody has com- 

 pared its character to that of a spiral line. Notice 

 after the preliminary grace notes the unbroken flow 

 of the four clusters which follow : 



wee - 7"y - . vee- ri/. 



JSTo hermit could do that sort of thing as well-; he 

 would not have breath enough. But there is also 

 another than spiral effect to this musician's song. 

 Sometimes a rare individual sings whose sonorous 

 tones vibrate be- 

 tween thirds and 

 fifths, thus : 



And in a chorus of veeries such as I heard last spring 

 his notes stand out by contrast with the others in a 

 most refreshing way ; let one's ear be never so subtle 

 at follovsdng a musical cadence, it can not be quick 

 enough to catch the full beauty of the last notes of 



