. The land-birds and game-birds of New England; with descriptions of the birds, their nests and eggs, their habits and notes, with illustrations;. Birds. 254 LAND-BIRDS. June ? He is jolly, rollicking, madly happy, recklessly happy. Nothing sober pleases him ; he perches on the elm, because its branches rock and wave in the breeze more than those of another tree; then he spreads his wings, and, bursting into ecstatic song, sails to the ground, perhaps caresses his mate, then soars again to another perch, and again carols. Who imagines that he has any control over his merry music ? It is a scie
. The land-birds and game-birds of New England; with descriptions of the birds, their nests and eggs, their habits and notes, with illustrations;. Birds. 254 LAND-BIRDS. June ? He is jolly, rollicking, madly happy, recklessly happy. Nothing sober pleases him ; he perches on the elm, because its branches rock and wave in the breeze more than those of another tree; then he spreads his wings, and, bursting into ecstatic song, sails to the ground, perhaps caresses his mate, then soars again to another perch, and again carols. Who imagines that he has any control over his merry music ? It is a scientific fiction. His song is like champagne, and his notes bubble out, when he opens his bill; and yet, just as too much champagne is surfeiting, so may be too much of his merry jingle. From his notes originate his name " Bobolink," and perhaps the Indian name " Conqueedle " (of the orthography I am uncertain) ; and from them has been formed the following amusing version of his song, which, if repeated rapidly with a rising inflection in each part, illustrates it very well: — " Tom Noodle, Tom Noodle, you owe me, you owe me, ten shillings and sixpence ! " "I paid you, I paid you ! " " You did n't, you did n't! " " You lie, you lie ; you cheat! " The ordinary note of the Bobolink is a peculiarly metallic chuck ; but there are also others less often heard, some of which are slightly querulous. III. MOLOTHRUS. A. ATEE. Fig. 12. Cow-Bird. (|) * Tlie Cow-tird breeds nearly every- where IB New England, but in the high- er portions of Massachusetts, among the Wliite Mountains, and throughout the extreme northern portions of New Hampshire and Maine, it is decidedly Cow BlackTnrd. Cow Bunting. Oow-pen Bunting, etc. A common sum- mer resident of New England, and noto- rious for the practice of laying eggs in the nests of other birds.* a. About 7| uncoramon, and in some localities per- haps altogether wanting. A few b
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1895
