. American bird magazine, ornithology. Birds. 'ERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. hurry; these little people have all the time there is, and in Santa Barbara one readily falls into the same mood. First you hear the orchestra tuning up, a clear, sustained pipe repeated more and more rapidly, then comes an answer on a different pitch, then another, till ==^ all the woods ring on every side. You imagine a large, brilli- ant perform- er, far in the distance, some lark or thrush; and with this idea may seek ye ars, as I did for the hidden musician, never noticing the tiny ash colored mite in the bushes at your
. American bird magazine, ornithology. Birds. 'ERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. hurry; these little people have all the time there is, and in Santa Barbara one readily falls into the same mood. First you hear the orchestra tuning up, a clear, sustained pipe repeated more and more rapidly, then comes an answer on a different pitch, then another, till ==^ all the woods ring on every side. You imagine a large, brilli- ant perform- er, far in the distance, some lark or thrush; and with this idea may seek ye ars, as I did for the hidden musician, never noticing the tiny ash colored mite in the bushes at your feet. Wonderful volume of sound to come from such a tiny body. He has a way of making his voice sound as if it came from a great distance, and indeed it does come a long way, for in the evening I have often heard it from a canon half a mile away. The tiny musician proves to be a companionable little fellow; if you are not too proud to take a lodging on the ground floor. He is the Wren-tit {Chamaea fasciata), a bird peculiar to California. He is clad in sombre brownish ash, with fluffy plumage. There is something semi-comic about the expression of his- great, round eye, as he stands on a low twig and strains every muscle, down to his quivering tail, to utter a louder pipe than his neighbors on the other side of the oaks. His little bride is exactly like him, and they are very devoted and constant companions. In fact I never saw a Wren-tit alone. This shrill pipe is not the only note they use. They have also a scolding tone with which they rebuke any unwonted stir among the audience, and a soft babyish chirp which is reserved for love. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Worcester, Mass. : C. K. Reed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1903
