. Handbook of birds of eastern North America : with keys to the species and descriptions of their plumages, nests and eggs, their distribution and migration ... Birds. 262 13LACKBIEDj|^, ORIOLES, ETC. "Washington, T. V., common in spring, abundant in fall; May 1 to May 27; Aug. 5 to Got. 1. Sing Sing, tolerably common S. E., May 1 to Oct. 5. Cam- bridge, very common S. E., May 8 to Sept. 10. Nsst, of grasses, on the ground. Eggs, four to seven, grayish white, fre- quently tinged with the color of the numerous irregular spots and blotches of olive-brown or umber, '85 x '62. In June our fie
. Handbook of birds of eastern North America : with keys to the species and descriptions of their plumages, nests and eggs, their distribution and migration ... Birds. 262 13LACKBIEDj|^, ORIOLES, ETC. "Washington, T. V., common in spring, abundant in fall; May 1 to May 27; Aug. 5 to Got. 1. Sing Sing, tolerably common S. E., May 1 to Oct. 5. Cam- bridge, very common S. E., May 8 to Sept. 10. Nsst, of grasses, on the ground. Eggs, four to seven, grayish white, fre- quently tinged with the color of the numerous irregular spots and blotches of olive-brown or umber, '85 x '62. In June our fields and meadows echo with the Bobolink's " mad music " as, on quivering wing, he sings in ecstasy to his mate on her nest in the grasses below. What a wonderful song it is 1 An irre- pressible outburst; a flood of melody from a heart overflowing with the joy of early summer. But this glad season is soon over. Even before the tide of the year is full, the Bobolink begins to prepare for the long journey to his win- ter resorts. Doffing his jaunty costume of black, white, and buff, he dons the less conspicuous dress of his mate, and travels in disguise under the assumed name of Keedbird or Kicebird. His voice is hushed, save for a single call-noteâa metallic chinh. He travels both by day and night, and from the sky we hear his watchword as he signals his companions. The wild-rice marshes of our coasts and rivers are the rendezvous of the countless flocks of Bobolinks, which later will invade South America, stopping en route to visit the rice fields of South Carolina and Georgia. They pass the winter south of the Amazon, and in March or April begin their northward journey. The males, in flocks of two or three hundred, precede the females by several days. They reach Florida about April 25, and are then in full song. Only one who has heard the Bobolink sing can form an idea of the effect pro- duced by a flock of three hundred singing in chorus. 495. Molothrus ater (Bodd.).
Size: 2047px × 1221px
Photo credit: © Central Historic Books / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
