. The birds of Washington : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . forgettable bird-person. Whatever be the time of year. Siskins roam about in happy, rollickingbands, comprising from a score to several hundred individuals. They movewith energy in the communal flight, while their incessant change of relativepositions in flock suggests those intramolecular vibrations of matter, which 86 THE PINE SISKIN. the new physicists are telhng- us alxjut. When a hirtl is sighteil alone,one sees that it is tlie graceful, undulatory, or looping, flight of


. The birds of Washington : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . forgettable bird-person. Whatever be the time of year. Siskins roam about in happy, rollickingbands, comprising from a score to several hundred individuals. They movewith energy in the communal flight, while their incessant change of relativepositions in flock suggests those intramolecular vibrations of matter, which 86 THE PINE SISKIN. the new physicists are telhng- us alxjut. When a hirtl is sighteil alone,one sees that it is tlie graceful, undulatory, or looping, flight of cousinGoldfinch which the social Siskin indulges so recklessly. Many of the notes, too, remind us of the Goldfinch. There are firstthose little chattering notes indulged a-wing and a-perch, when the l>irds arenot too busy feeding. The koodayl of incjuiry or greeting is the same. Butthere is another note quite distinctive. It is a labored, but singularly penetrat-ing production with a peculiar vowel sound (like a German umlauted u),siim or cccciii. So much efi^nrt does the utterance of this note cost the THE DRAPERIES OF PARADISE. RAINIER AS SEEN BY THE SISKIN. Photo by W. Leon Dawson. that it always occasions a display of the hidden sulphur markings of wingsand tail. When fired by passion the Siskin is capable, also*, oi extended daytime serenade is vivacious, but not loud except in occasional pas-sages,—a sort of chattering, ecstatic warble of diverse elements. The birdhas, besides its own peculiar notes, many finch-like phrases and interi)olations,reminding one now of the Goldfinch, and now of the California Purple most striking phrase pruduced in this connection is a triple shriek of theEveiung Grosbeak, subdued of cnurse, but very effective. Tho perhaps not numerically ef|ual to the Western Golden-crownedKinglet, nor to the Western Winter Wren, there is not another liird in \\ash-ington which enjoys a more nearly uniform distrilnitinn than t


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Keywords: ., bookauthordawsonwilliamleon1873, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900