. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . utter up fromunder a passenger coach, as itlay in station. He had hap-pened to spy some breadcrumbs and there was nothingto hinder save the conductorsbrisk all aboard. Surely sucha bundle of contradictions younever did see—and all belied byan expression of lamb-like art-lessness and dolcc far niente,which would do credit to arag-doll. All observers testify to thevocal powers of the Solitaire,and some are most extravagantin the birds praises. My ownnotes are very meager. A song
. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . utter up fromunder a passenger coach, as itlay in station. He had hap-pened to spy some breadcrumbs and there was nothingto hinder save the conductorsbrisk all aboard. Surely sucha bundle of contradictions younever did see—and all belied byan expression of lamb-like art-lessness and dolcc far niente,which would do credit to arag-doll. All observers testify to thevocal powers of the Solitaire,and some are most extravagantin the birds praises. My ownnotes are very meager. A songheard on Church Mountain, inWhatcom County, May 12,1905, is characterized as adulcet strain of varied reminds one strongly of theSage Thrasher, but it is some-what less impetuous. In viewof this meagerness, I ventureto quote at length two older ac-counts, now hidden away in volumes not easily accessible. Dr. J. S. Newberry first encountered the Soli-taire in the canon of the Mptolyas River, at the base of Mount Jefferson (Or.),and declared its song to be full, rich, and melodious, like that of a Mhmis?. ■MoVOoks TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE. a. Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv., Vol. VI., 1857, p. 82. 228 THE TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE. We followed down the river in the bottom of the canon; all day thegorge was filled with a chorus of sweet sounds from hundreds and thousandsof these birds, which from their monotonous color, and their habit of sittingon the branch of a tree projecting into the void above the stream, or hangingfrom some beetling crag, and flying out in narrow circles after insects preciselyin the manner of the Flycatchers I was disposed to associate with them. Two days afterward in the canon of Psuc-see-que Creek, of which theterraced banks were sparsely set with low trees of the western cedar (J. occi-dentalis), I found these birds numerous. * * * With the first dawn of daythey began their songs, and at sunrise the valley was perfectly vocal with theirnotes. Never, anywhere, ha
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