- quainted with birds who are named after their song.
One of these birds on that spring day was constantly spreading his wings and his tail before the others, as if he wanted to show the beautiful yellow feathers underneath. Because of these yellow feathers the flicker is also called goldenwinged woodpecker. Nearly all birds have a scolding word. When the flicker wants to scold he says, "Queer," as plainly as a person can say it.
Of course, we never went near enough to any bird's nest to frighten the brooding birds, nor did we stay long enough to keep the parents from feeding their young. We always found a convenient place fifty feet or more away, and through our field glasses watched the birds without annoying them.
I had long known the wood thrush by his yodeling song. It usually came out of the thickets and tangles in the ravine back of our place, so the singer could not easily be seen. At sunrise and sunset, the music of the thrushes, singing and answering one another, was like bells calling to prayer. From early May until mid-July I always wanted to be out mornings and evenings to attend the matins and the vespers of the wood thrushes.
Mrs. Wood Thrush tried hard to hide her nest; it was completely surrounded by thornbushes. "Wit-a-wit-a-wit," said her mate as we went near; then he came out of his hiding place. He had a brown back and a white and brown speckled front just like
