. The birds of California : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 580 species and subspecies of birds found in the state. Birds; Birds. The Western Bluebird Photo by F. S. Merrill ish or, Aztecan, or Zampeyan, he flits about silent in seven lan- guages. Er—but—what's this ? Can we be mistaken ? Here is what Dr. J .K. Townsend1 says of the Western Bluebird: "Common on the Columbia River in the spring. It arrives from the south early in April, and about the first week in May commences building. * * * A flock of eight or ten of these birds visited the British fort on the Columbia
. The birds of California : a complete, scientific and popular account of the 580 species and subspecies of birds found in the state. Birds; Birds. The Western Bluebird Photo by F. S. Merrill ish or, Aztecan, or Zampeyan, he flits about silent in seven lan- guages. Er—but—what's this ? Can we be mistaken ? Here is what Dr. J .K. Townsend1 says of the Western Bluebird: "Common on the Columbia River in the spring. It arrives from the south early in April, and about the first week in May commences building. * * * A flock of eight or ten of these birds visited the British fort on the Columbia, on a fine day in the winter of 1835. They confined themselves chiefly to the fences, occasionally flying to the ground and scratching among the snow for minute insects, the fragments of which were found in the stomachs of several which I killed. After procuring an insect the male usually re- turned to the fence again, and warbled for a minute most delightfully. This note although somewhat like that of our common Wilsonii [i. e., S. sialis], is still so different as to be easily recognized. It is equally sweet and clear but of so little compass (at this season) as to be heard only a short distance. In the spring it is louder, but it is at all times much less strong than that of the common ; Dr. Brewer, condensing Nuttall, says:2 "He [Nuttall] speaks of its habits as exactly similar to those of the common Bluebird. The male is equally tuneful throughout the breeding season, and his song is also very similar. Like the common species he is very devoted to his mate, alternately feeding and caressing her and entertaining her with his song. This is a little more varied, tender, and sweet [editor's italics] than that of the Eastern species, and differs in its ; Our own Dr. Cooper testifies:3 "It also differs [i. e., from 5. sialis] in its song, which is not so loud as sweet, and is curiously performed to sound as if two birds were singing a
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Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1923
