. Bird-life : a guide to the study of our common birds . Meadowlark s best fieldcharacter. They are very conspicuous when he is on thewing, and, when perching, if he is alarmed or excited, heexposes them by nervously flitting or twitching his movement is generally accompanied by a singlenasal call-note, which changes to a rolling twitter as thebird takes wing. I^either of these notes give any indi-cation of the sweetness of the birds song, a high musicalwhistle, clear as the note of a fife, sweet as the tone of aflute. It is subject to much variation both individualand local, but the
. Bird-life : a guide to the study of our common birds . Meadowlark s best fieldcharacter. They are very conspicuous when he is on thewing, and, when perching, if he is alarmed or excited, heexposes them by nervously flitting or twitching his movement is generally accompanied by a singlenasal call-note, which changes to a rolling twitter as thebird takes wing. I^either of these notes give any indi-cation of the sweetness of the birds song, a high musicalwhistle, clear as the note of a fife, sweet as the tone of aflute. It is subject to much variation both individualand local, but the song I oftenest hear in northern NewJersey may be written : ^. >iE^EEEEtl When singing, the birds usually perch in an exposed po-sition, generally choosing the topmost branches of a treeor a dead limb. The Meadowlarks nest is placed upon the ground, asa rule, in a tuft of grasses which is arranged to form adome over it. The eggs, four to six in number, are laidabout May 15, and in color are white, spotted or speckledwith cinnamon or reddish Plate LI. AMEKICAN CROSSBILL. Pages U7, 148. Length, 6-20 inches. Adult male, dull red ; back brownish ; wings andtail blackish. Adult female and young, greenish ; back more or lessmottled with brownish; the under parts grayish. PINE GROSBEAK. Length, 9*10 inches. Adult male, rose-pink ; back brownish ; lowerbelly gray ; wings and tail brownish black. Adult female and young,gray; crown, upper tail-coverts, and breast washed with deep yellow. COWBIRD. 137 Occasionally Cowbirds are seen during the winternear New York city; but, as a rule, tliey retire farther Cowbird south at this season, and are first ob- Molothrus ater. scrved there in the spring about March Plate XL. 2:). They do not come in large flocks, but singly or in small bands. The male may now beseen perched in an exposed position on a treetop, callinghis long-drawn-out, glassy klucJc, tse-e-e. Later, whenwooing the female, he utters a curious, gurgling note,resembling t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirdsun, bookyear1901
