Song of Paserella iliaca [Passerella iliaca]
MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
Habits of Ampelis cedrorum
1876.
Monday
April 3 [April 3, 1876] Cloudy with chill E. [east] wind. Got off rather
late this morning taking a turn up over
the Coolidge farm. Found cedar birds
very numerous, as much so I think as
they used to be in the good old times,
Shot sixteen only four of which were
wax tipped. Of these were [males]. Of the
remaining were [males]. Shot also a [male]
Sialia. Saw a large flock of fox sparrows
and listened a long time to the glorious
melody of the males some of which
were performing almost incessantly though
it was nearly noon. I saw no reason
to change my previous high opinion of
the merits of this bird as a songster &
would place no bird above it that
I have ever heard, though the hermit
thrush is certainly not a whit inferior.
The conspicuous elements of the fox sparrow
song are wildness and a superlative
richness of compass, while there is enough of
continuity to fully satisfy the ear. A few
other birds equal it perhaps in the first
two particulars, but none of these can
be credited with [delete]its[/delete] an equal amount of
power & length of utterance. The chief
charm of the hermits song is its exquisite
serenity & purity but while in there it
far surpasses the fox sparrow, it falls
below it in boldness of execution. The
two songs are so unlike that it is perhaps
unwise to compare them at all: Each one
masterpieces of their way. Juncos are
migrating now in full blast. Saw a
single Molothrus a male. The cedar birds
have commenced to attack the asparagus
[margin]berries, but still feed more on the juniper berries. It is a pretty sight to see a flock of them, covering the cone shape top of the tree, some always in the air passing like humming birds in front of the clustering fruit. When their appetite is satiated they betake themselves to some tall tree top & light in masses among the finer twigs. They are continually hopping from twig to twig, or moving sideways along them, apparently searching them & frequently picking off something but what I cannot ascertain as their crops contain nought but berries with which they are stuffed to the mouth.[/margin]