84 
NATURE STUDY. 
the Passion Play. This was the most impressive experience of 
the whole tour, from the combined effect on our minds of the 
scenery, the quaint and peculiar people, and the superb presen¬ 
tation of their hereditary thank-offering. 
Here two of the most charming birds in Europe introduced 
themselves to us. The first were perched on telegraph wires and 
but for their heads having a tinge of lemon yellow we might 
have taken them for vesper sparrows. These were the famous 
yellow-hammers (Emberiza citrinella). The song is insect-like 
and thin but not unmusical, and is heard at a considerable dis¬ 
tance. On the afternoon of our arrival we drove out of the 
picturesque little village by the road which follows the winding 
Ammer in its course through the narrow valley overhung by 
the Bavarian Alps. This clear, swift flowing stream gives the 
name to the town, Ober-Ammergau. While crossing one of the 
bridges which spans it we observed some brownish-black birds, 
with distinctly rufous tails, which they tilted frequently, and 
displayed by opening and closing like a fan, after the manner 
of our redstart. In fact they turned out to be the black redstart 
(Ruticilla titys), not, however, related to our redstart, which is a 
warbler, but nearer our thrushes. Bird life is evidently abundant 
in the narrow little valley and in the town itself. During the 
progress of the Passion Play all sorts of weather prevailed, moun¬ 
tain showers, wind and sunshine, and to add to the uniqueness 
of the scene numbers of wild birds flew about the auditorium. 
The song of another bird, as yet unseen, had come to us at 
Munich. It was much like that of our purple finch or linnet, 
a little louder and more broken and with a questioning inflec¬ 
tion. At Lucerne, while taking our first look at the famous 
Lion of Thorwaldsen we heard the song again and, follow¬ 
ing the little fellow as he flew from tree to tree up through the 
Glacial Gardens, we soon had an excellent view of the bird. 
He was about the size of our linnet, head ashen, like that of 
the male house sparrow, back brownish, rump yellow, throat 
rufous, breast vinous red, belly white, wing bars prominent. 
This we identified as the chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs). These 
