Chapter VIII: Part 8

"Walked, after dinner, in the Old Road, as I have done often of
late, and sat for a while at the entrance to Pyrola Grove. A wood
thrush was singing not far off, and in the midst a Swainson thrush
vouchsafed a few measures. I wished the latter would continue, but
was thankful for the little. A tanager called excitedly,
_Chip-cherr_, moving from tree to tree meanwhile, once to a birch in
full sight, and then into the pine over my head. As it grew dark the
crowd of warblers were still to be seen feeding busily, making the
most of the lingering daylight. A small-billed water thrush was
teetering along a willow-branch, while his congeners, the
oven-birds, were practicing their aerial hymn. One of these went
past me as I stood by the roadside, rising very gradually into the
air and repeating all the way, _Chip, chip, chip, chip_, till at
last he broke into the warble, which was a full half longer than
usual. He was evidently doing his prettiest. No vireos sang after
sunset. A Maryland yellow-throat piped once or twice (he is
habitually an evening musician), and the black-throated greens were
in tune, but the rest of the warblers were otherwise engaged.
Finally, just as a distant whippoorwill began to call, a towhee sang
once from the woods; and a moment later the stillness was broken by
the sudden outburst of a thrasher. 'Now then,' he seemed to say, 'if
the rest of you are quite done, I will see what _I_ can do.' He kept
on for two or three minutes in his best manner, and at the same time
a pair of cat-birds were whispering love together in the thicket.
Then an ill-timed carriage came rattling along the road, and when it
had passed, every bird's voice was hushed. The hyla's tremulous cry
was the only musical sound to be heard. As I started away, one of
these tree-frogs hopped out of my path, and I picked him up at the
second or third attempt. What did he think, I wonder, when I turned
him on his back to look at the disks at his finger-tips? Probably he
supposed that his hour was come; but I had no evil designs upon
him,--he was not to be drowned in alcohol at present. Walking
homeward I heard the robin's scream now and again; but the
thrasher's was the last _song_, as it deserved to be."

Two days later I find the following:--

"Into the woods by the Old Road. As I approached them, a little
after sundown, a chipper was trilling, and song sparrows and golden
warblers were singing,--as were the black-throated greens also, and
the Maryland yellow-throats. A wood thrush called brusquely, but
offered no further salute to the god of day at his departure.
Oven-birds were taking to wing on the right and left. Then, as it
grew dark, it grew silent,--except for the hylas,--till suddenly a
field sparrow gave out his sweet strain once. After that all was
quiet for another interval, till a thrasher from the hillside began
to sing. He ceased, and once more there was stillness. All at once
the tanager broke forth in a strangely excited way, blurting out his
phrase two or three times and subsiding as abruptly as he had
commenced. Some crisis in his love-making, I imagined. Now the last
oven-bird launched into the air and let fall a little shower of
melody, and a whippoorwill took up his chant afar off. This should
have been the end; but a robin across the meadow thought otherwise,
and set at work as if determined to make a night of it. Mr.
Early-and-late, the robin's name ought to be. As I left the wood the
whippoorwill followed; coming nearer and nearer, till finally he
overpassed me and sang with all his might (while I tried in vain to
see him) from a tree or the wall, near the big buttonwood. He too is
an early riser, only he rises before nightfall instead of before
daylight."

INDEX

Blackbird, crow, 17;
red-winged, 183;
rusty, 216.

Bluebird, 14, 72, 160, 184, 214, 217.

Blue-gray gnatcatcher, 152.

Bobolink, 16, 78.

Bunting, bay-winged, 27, 174, 234;
snow, 190, 195;
towhee, 25, 39, 62, 178.

Butcher-bird, 5, 11, 66, 208.

Cat-bird, 3, 72, 114.

Cedar-bird, 26, 50, 126, 269.

Chat, yellow-breasted, 69, 152, 153.

Chewink, 25, 39, 62, 178.

Chickadee, 27, 58, 158, 202, 215, 237, 291.

Chimney swift, 23, 96, 272.

Cowbird, 183.

Creeper, brown, 20, 161, 205, 227, 262;
black-and-white, 21, 266, 279.

Crow, common, 26, 78, 209;
fish, 154, 209.

Cuckoo, black-billed, 18.

Finch, grass, 27, 174, 234;
purple, 27, 119, 173, 199, 217, 287;
pine, 206.

Flicker, 25, 121, 232.

Flycatcher, great-crested, 152;
least, 26, 36, 231;
phoebe, 26, 215, 230, 269;
wood pewee, 36, 231, 257;
yellow-bellied, 91.

Goldfinch, 16, 19, 60, 173, 188, 190, 193, 236.

Grosbeak, cardinal, 27, 37, 152, 173;
pine, 197;
rose-breasted, 173, 292.

Humming-bird, ruby-throated, 21.

Indigo-bird, 177.

Jay, blue, 26, 65, 208, 264;
Canada, 257.

Kingbird, 26, 78, 231.

Kingfisher, 26, 154.

Kinglet, golden-crested, 21, 203;
ruby-crowned, 21, 235.

Lark, western meadow, 40, 41;
shore, 206.

Linnet, 27, 119, 173, 199, 217, 287;
red-poll, 27, 190, 192.

Maryland yellow-throat, 9, 21, 85, 166, 266, 296.

Mocking-bird, 27.

Night-hawk, 27, 183.

Nuthatch, red-bellied, 25;
white-bellied, 24.

Oriole, Baltimore, 16, 181;
orchard, 154.

Oven-bird, 21, 42, 86, 124, 136, 256, 283, 296.

Pewee, wood 36, 231, 257.

Phoebe, 26, 215, 230, 269.

Red-poll linnet, 27, 190, 192.

Redstart, 21, 86, 135.

Robin, 15, 16, 35, 38, 111, 131, 160, 202, 229, 294, 298.

Sandpiper, spotted, 123.

Scarlet tanager, 125, 153, 171, 257, 296, 298.

Shrike, 5, 11, 66, 208.

Small-billed water thrush, 21, 86, 266.

Snow-bird, 90, 176, 208, 214, 221, 269.

Snow bunting, 190, 195.

Sparrow, chipping, 10, 16, 126, 173, 233, 289;
field, 27, 40, 173, 233;
fox-colored, 17, 173, 176, 215, 217, 218;
house (or "English"), 14, 17, 20, 22, 45, 110;
savanna, 27, 49, 78;
song, 15, 40, 173, 174, 200, 214, 217, 219;
swamp, 27;
tree, 27, 215;
white-throated, 16, 80, 207, 271.

Swallow, barn, 23;
white-bellied, 23, 228.

Swift, chimney, 23, 96, 272.

Tanager, scarlet, 125, 153, 171, 257, 296, 298.

Thrush, brown, 16, 61, 117, 158, 184, 234, 297;
gray-cheeked (or Alice's), 17, 140, 141, 281;
golden-crowned, 21, 42, 86, 124, 136, 256, 283, 296;
hermit, 20, 71, 86, 140, 234, 258, 279;
olive-backed (or Swainson's), 20, 86, 88, 140, 281;
small-billed water, 21, 86, 266;
Wilson's (or veery), 25, 71, 138;
wood, 38, 112, 140, 258, 279.

Titmouse, black-capped, 27, 58, 158, 202, 215, 237, 291;
tufted, 151.

Towhee bunting, 25, 39, 62, 178.

Veery, 25, 71, 138.

Vireo, (or greenlet), blue-headed, 167, 168;
red-eyed, 16, 167, 268;
solitary, 167, 168;
yellow-throated, 27, 167;
warbling, 16, 167, 168;
white-eyed, 40, 41, 69, 148, 167, 170, 286.

Warbler, bay-breasted, 85, 166;
Blackburnian, 86, 165, 265;
black-and-yellow, 85;
black-poll, 21, 85, 165;
black-throated blue, 21, 41, 86, 164, 267;
black-throated green, 21, 41, 86, 137, 164, 267, 290;
blue golden-winged, 42, 145, 164;
blue yellow-backed, 21, 86, 164, 268;
Canada, 21, 85, 266;
chestnut-sided, 42, 266, 271;
golden, 21, 164;
golden-crowned wagtail, 21, 42, 86, 124, 136;
mourning, 85;
Nashville, 98, 266;
pine-creeping, 166, 228, 237, 289;
prairie, 165;
summer yellow-bird, 21, 164;
worm-eating, 152;
yellow red-poll, 234;
yellow-rumped, 21, 42, 43, 86, 269.

Waxwing, 26, 50, 126, 269.

Whippoorwill, 183, 298.

Woodcock, 27, 222.

Woodpecker, downy, 25;
golden-winged, 25, 121, 232;
red-bellied, 152;
red-headed, 150, 205;
yellow-bellied, 8, 26, 271.

Wren, great Carolina, 152;
winter, 88, 146, 225, 256, 272.

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