The Yellow-headed Blackbird 



extraordinary person — you are prepared for that once you catch sight of 

 his resplendent gold-upon-black livery — but his avowal of the tender 

 passion is a revelation of incongruity. Grasping a reed firmly in both 

 fists, he leans forward, and, after premonitory gulps and gasps, succeeds 

 in pressing out a wail of despairing agony which would do credit to a 

 dying catamount. When you have recovered from the first shock, you 

 strain the eyes in astonishment that a mere bird, and a bird in love at 

 that, should give rise to such a cataclysmic sound. But he can do it 

 again, and his neighbor across the way can do as well — or worse. When 

 your nerves have somewhat recovered, modesty overcomes you, and you 

 retire, not without a chastened sense of privilege that you have lived to 

 hear the Yellow-head pop the question, — "and also you lived after." 



The expiring Romeo cry is quite the finest of the Xanthocephaline 

 repertory, but there are others not devoid of interest. Oh-eh-ah-oh-oo 

 is a musical series of startling brilliancy, comparable in a degree to the 

 yodelling of a street urchin, — a succession of sounds of varying pitches, 

 produced as though by altering the oral capacity. It may be noted 



thus: k p ., J The last note is especially mellow and pleasing, recalling to 

 some ' r ' ears the liquid gurgle of the Bobolink, to which, of course, 



our bird is distinctly related. 



Alternating with the last named, and more frequently heard from 

 the depths of the nesting swamp is gur, gurrl; or, as oftenest, yewi(nk), 

 yewi(nk), gur-gurrl. In this phrase the gurrl is drawn out with comical 

 effect, as though the gallant were down on his knees before some un- 

 yielding maiden. From the depths of the swamp also comes a phrase 

 which should be a fitting response to such a love-sick appeal, but alas 

 for our logic, it also proceeds from "himself." Cut that aout, says his 

 lordship, in the most matter of fact way. And a distant neighbor, 

 believing that discipline is at stake, coincides, cut that a-out. The words 

 say themselves, and the most ardent scoffer at "humanizing" cannot 

 unthink them. But I do not expect all my readers to follow when I 

 assert that, upon occasion, this bird becomes quite vehement, and shouts, 

 You gotta cut that a-out. 



The Yellow-head's ordinary note of distrust, equivalent to the dink 

 note of the Redwing, is kluck or kohick'. In flight this becomes almost 

 invariably oo'kluk, oo'kluk. At rest, again, this is sometimes prolonged 

 into a thrilling passage of resonant "1" notes, probably remonstratory 

 in character. The alarm cry is built upon the same basis, and is uttered 

 with exceeding vehemence, klookoloy, klookoloy, klook ooooo. 



Finally, if one may presume to speak finally of so versatile a genius, 

 this bird has a harsh, rasping note very similar in quality to the scolding 

 note of the Blue-fronted Jay, only lighter in weight and a little higher 



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