The Lincoln Sparrows 



Taken in Yosemite 



one more than fleeting glimpses, baffling disappearances, or strained 

 moments of maddening unnaturalness. 



Quite different is the story of the Lincoln Sparrow in his summer 

 home, an emerald meadow in the Sierras, or a lush-bound cienaga in one 

 of the southern ranges. There he bursts upon you in a torrent of music, 

 a flood which leaves you fairly gasping. This little, slinking, bird-afraid- 

 of-his-shadow gets all at once the courage of mighty convictions, when 

 he has the mountain to back him; and though he still skulks and evades, 

 it is henceforth rather as a modest hero shunning the plaudits of an 



unrestrained admi- 

 ration . 



The song of the Lin- 

 coln Sparrow is of a 

 distinctly musical order, 

 being gushing, viva- 

 cious, and wren-like in 

 quality, rather than lisp- 

 ing and wooden, as are 

 so many of our sparrow 

 songs. Indeed, the bird 

 shows a much stronger 

 relationship in song to 

 the Purple Finch than 

 it does to its immediate 

 congeners, the Song 

 Sparrows. The principal 

 strain is gurgling, 

 rolling, and spon- 

 taneous, and the bird 

 has ever the trick of 

 adding two or three in- 

 consequential notes at 

 the end of his ditty, 

 quite in approved Purple 

 Finch fashion. Linkup, 

 tinkup perly werly willie 

 willie weeee (dim.) says 

 one; Riggle, jiggle, eet 

 eet eet eer oor, another. 

 Che willy willy willy che 

 quill; Lee lee lee quilly 

 willy willy, and other 



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LINCOLN'S CATHEDRAL 



Photo by the Author 



362 



