WOOD THRUSH. 
203 
I St to the 15 th of April; though his appearance here, where 
the species is scarce, does not take place earlier than the be- 
ginning of May. At the dawn of morning he now announces 
his presence in the woods, and from the top of some tall tree, 
rising through the dark and shady forest, he pours out his few, 
clear, and harmonious notes in a pleasing revery, as if inspired 
by the enthusiasm of renovated Nature. Ihe prelude to this 
song resembles almost the double tonguing of the flute, blended 
with a tinkling, shrill, and solemn warble which re-echoes from 
his solitary retreat like the dirge of some sad recluse who 
shuns the busy haunts of life. Ihe whole air consists usually 
of 4 parts or bars, which succeed, in deliberate time, and 
finally blend together in impressive and soothing harmony, 
becoming more mellow and sweet at every repetition. Rival 
performers seem to challenge each other from various parts of 
the wood, vying for the favor of their mates with sympathetic 
responses and softer tones ; and some, waging a jealous strife, 
terminate the warm dispute by an appeal to combat and vio- 
lence. Like the Robin and the Thrasher, in dark and gloomy 
weather, when other birds are sheltered and silent, the clear 
notes of the Wood Thrush are heard through the dropping 
woods from dawn to dusk, so that the sadder the day, the 
sweeter and more constant is his song. His clear and inter- 
rupted whistle is likewise often nearly the only voice of melody 
heard by the traveller, to mid-day, in the heat of summer, as he 
traverses the silent, dark, and wooded wilderness, remote from 
the haunts of men. It is nearly impossible by words to con- 
vey any idea of the peculiar warble of this vocal hermit ; but 
amongst his phrases the sound of 'airacc, peculiarly liquid, and 
followed by a trill repeated in two interrupted bars, is readily 
recognizable. At times the notes bear a considerable resem- 
blance to those of Wilson’s Thrush ; such as eh rhehu 'vrhehu, 
then varied to 'ch vilFia villia, 'eh villia vrhehu, then 'eh velu 
villiu, high and shrill. 
The Wood Thrush is always of a shy and retiring disposi- 
tion, appearing alone or only in single pairs, and while he 
willingly charms us with his song, he is content and even soli- 
