. The birds about us . hetallest tree-tops. It stays all summer, and builds adainty nest of unsubstantial bits, always in a tree,and sometimes very near the top of it, and lays afew beautiful yellow-brown and white eggs. Anent the matter of classification, this little birdused to be looked upon as a flycatcher. It isstill a catcher of flies, but, because of its bones andfeathers having certain twists, is now ranked as oneof the highest types of the Oscines, or Singing-birds,and the song is usually likened to the squeak of a The Perching Birds. 33 mouse, and, according to Nuttall, scarcely loud
. The birds about us . hetallest tree-tops. It stays all summer, and builds adainty nest of unsubstantial bits, always in a tree,and sometimes very near the top of it, and lays afew beautiful yellow-brown and white eggs. Anent the matter of classification, this little birdused to be looked upon as a flycatcher. It isstill a catcher of flies, but, because of its bones andfeathers having certain twists, is now ranked as oneof the highest types of the Oscines, or Singing-birds,and the song is usually likened to the squeak of a The Perching Birds. 33 mouse, and, according to Nuttall, scarcely is very true, so far as it goes, but there are ex-traordinary occasions when it can raise its voice tosome purpose and squeak very shrilly. This littlebird has something of a temper when nesting, andwhile timid as a rule, may be roused to rashness, andwill dart at you as angrily as ever did the irate hum-ming-bird. There are two birds much alike in all respects, theGolden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. They. Golden-crowned Kinglet. spend their summers in the far north, and winter,the former in the Middle States and southward, andthe latter altogether far south. So it is written ; butI have seen ruby-crowns at Christmas in SouthernNew Jersey, and occasionally elsewhere. The golden-crowned is the common one with us all the winter,and a very companionable little fellow it is. Whilepreferring evergreens, it is satisfied with shrubberyof any kind, and will cheerfully pick its way throughtangled vines, all the while singing or trying to, whichis just as well, for the simple sound shows what acheerful heart the kinglet has, and we are as quickto respond to an effort as to a great feat accom- 34 The Birds About Us. plislied. I doubt if, in the long run, the elaborateperformances of our accomplished songsters affordmore real pleasure than the less elaborated utter-ances of unpretentious birds. The golden-crownedkinglet occasionally leaves the trees and shrubbeiy inwinter, an
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1895
