It is this period that marks the return of the birds,—one or two of the more hardy3 or half-domesticated species, like the song sparrow and the bluebird, usually arriving in March, while the rarer and more brilliant wood-birds bring up the procession in June. But each stage of the advancing season gives prominence4 to the certain species, as to certain flowers. The dandelion tells me when to look for the swallow, the dogtooth violet when to expect the wood-thrush, and when I have found the wake-robin5 in bloom I know the season is fairly inaugurated. With me this flower is associated, not merely with the awakening7 of Robin, for he has been awake for some weeks, but with the universal awakening and rehabilitation8 of nature.
Yet the coming and going of the birds is more or less a mystery and a surprise. We go out in the morning, and no thrush or vireo is to be heard; we go out again, and every tree and grove9 is musical; yet again, and all is silent. Who saw them come? Who saw them depart?
This pert little winter wren10, for instance, darting11 in and out the fence, diving under the rubbish here and coming up yards away,—how does he manage with those little circular wings to compass degrees and zones, and arrive always in the nick of time? Last August I saw him in the remotest wilds of the Adirondacks, impatient and inquisitive12 as usual; a few weeks later, on the Potomac, I was greeted by the same hardy little busybody. Does he travel by easy stages from bush to bush and from wood to wood? or has that compact little body force and courage to brave the night and the upper air, and so achieve leagues at one pull?
And yonder bluebird with the earth tinge13 on his breast and the sky tinge on his back,—did he come down out of the heaven on that bright March morning when he told us so softly and plaintively14 that, if we pleased, spring had come? Indeed, there is nothing in the return of the birds more curious and suggestive than in the first appearance, or rumors16 of the appearance, of this little blue-coat. The bird at first seems a mere6 wandering voice in the air: one hears its call or carol on some bright March morning, but is uncertain of its source or direction; it falls like a drop of rain when no cloud is visible; one looks and listens, but to no purpose. The weather changes, perhaps a cold snap with snow comes on, and it may be a week before I hear the not again, and this time or the next perchance see this bird sitting on a stake in the fence lifting his wing as he calls cheerily to his mate. Its notes now become daily more frequent; the birds multiply, and, flitting from point to point, call and warble more confidently and gleefully. Their boldness increases till one sees them hovering19 with a saucy20, inquiring air about barns and out-buildings, peeping into dove-cotes and stable windows, inspecting knotholes and pump-trees, intent only on a place to nest. They wage war against robins21 and wrens22, pick quarrels with swallows, and seem to deliberate for days over the policy of taking forcible possession of one of the mud-houses of the latter. But as the season advances they drift more into the background. Schemes of conquest which they at first seemed bent24 upon are abandoned, and the settle down very quietly in their old quarters in remote stumpy fields.
Not long after the bluebird comes the robin, sometimes in March, but in most of the Northern States April is the month of the robin. In large numbers they scour25 the fields and groves26. You hear their piping in the meadow, in the pasture, on the hillside. Walk in the woods, and the dry leaves rustle27 with the whir of their wings the air is vocal28 with their cheery call. In excess of joy and vivacity29, they run, leap, scream, chase each other through the air, diving and sweeping30 among the trees with perilous31 rapidity.
In that free, fascinating, half-work and half-play pursuit,—sugar-making,—a pursuit which still lingers in many parts of New York, as in New England,—the robin is one's constant companion. When the day is sunny and the ground bare, you meet him at all points and hear him at all hours. At sunset, on the tops of the tall maples33, with look heavenward, and in a spirit of utter abandonment, he carols his simple strain. And sitting thus amid the stark34, silent trees, above the wet, cold earth, with the chill of winter still in the air, there is no fitter or sweeter songster in the whole round year. It is in keeping with the scene and the occasion. How round and genuine the notes are, and how eagerly our ears drink them in! The first utterance35, and the spell of winter is thoroughly36 broken, and the remembrance of it afar off.
Robin is one of the most native and democratic of our birds; He is one of the family, and seems much nearer to us than those rare, exotic visitants, as the orchard37 starling or rose-breasted grosbeak, with their distant, high-bred ways. Hardy, noisy, frolicsome39, neighborly, and domestic in his habits, strong of wing and bold in spirit, he is the pioneer of the thrush family, and well worthy40 of the finer artists whose coming he heralds41 and in a measure prepares us for.
I could wish Robin less native and plebeian42 in one respect,—the building of his nest. Its coarse material and rough masonry43 are creditable neither to his skill as a workman nor to his taste as an artist. I am the more forcibly reminded of his deficiency in this respect from observing yonder hummingbird's nest, which is a marvel44 of fitness and adaptation, a proper setting for this winged gem,—the body of it composed of a white, felt-like substance, probably the down of some plant or the wool of some worm, and toned down in keeping with the branch on which it sits by minute tree-lichens, woven together by threads as fine and grail as gossamer45. From Robin's good looks and musical turn, we might reasonably predict a domicile of him as clean and handsome a nest as the king-bird's, whose harsh jingle46, compared with Robin's evening melody, is as the clatter47 of pots and kettles beside the tone of a flute48. I love his note and ways better even than those of the orchard starling or the Baltimore oriole; yet his nest, compared with theirs, is a half-subterranean hut contrasted with a Roman villa49. There is something courtly and poetical50 in a pensile nest. Next to a castle in the air is a dwelling51 suspended to the slender branch of a tall tree, swayed and rocked forever by the wind. Why need wings be afraid of falling? Why build only where boys can climb? After all, we must set it down to the account of Robin's democratic turn: he is no aristocrat52, but one of the people; and therefore we should expect stability in his workmanship, rather than elegance53.
Another April bird, which makes her appearance sometimes earlier and sometimes later than Robin, and whose memory I fondly cherish, is the phoebe-bird, the pioneer of the flycatchers. In the inland farming districts, I used to notice her, on some bright morning about Easter Day, proclaiming her arrival, with much variety of motion and attitude, from the peak of the barn or hay-shed. As yet, you may have heard only the plaintive15, homesick note of the bluebird, or the faint trill of the song sparrow; and Phoebe's clear, vivacious54 assurance of her veritable bodily presence among us again is welcomed by all ears. At agreeable intervals55 in her lay she describes a circle or an ellipse in the air, ostensibly prospecting56 for insects, but really, I suspect, as an artistic57 flourish, thrown in to make up in some way for the deficiency of her musical performance. If plainness of dress indicates powers of song as it usually does, then Phoebe ought to be unrivaled in musical ability, for surely that ashen-gray suit is the superlative of plainness; and that form, likewise, would hardly pass for a "perfect figure" of a bird. The seasonableness of her coming, however, and her civil, neighborly ways, shall make up for all deficiencies in song and plumage. After a few weeks phoebe is seldom seen, except as she darts58 from her moss-covered nest beneath some bridge or shelving cliff.
Another April comer, who arrives shortly after Robin-redbreast, with whom he associates both at this season and in the autumn, is the gold-winged woodpecker, alias59 "high-hole," alias "flicker," alias "yarup." He is an old favorite of my boyhood, and his note to me means very much. He announces his arrival by a long, loud call, repeated from the dry branch of some tree, or a stake in the fence,—a thoroughly melodious60 April sound. I think how Solomon finished that beautiful description of spring, "And the voice of the turtle is heard in the land," and see that a description of spring in this farming country, to be equally characteristic, should culminate61 in like manner,—"And the call of the high-hole comes up from the wood."
It is a loud, strong, sonorous62 call, and does not seem to imply an answer, but rather to subserve some purpose of love or music. It is "Yarup's" proclamation of peace and good-will to all. On looking at the matter closely, I perceive that most birds, not denominated songsters, have, in the spring, some note or sound or call that hints of a song, and answers imperfectly the end of beauty and art. As a "livelier iris63 changes on the burnished64 dove," and the fancy of the young man turns lightly to thoughts of his pretty cousin, so the same renewing spirit touches the "silent singers," and they are no longer dumb; faintly they lisp the first syllables65 of the marvelous tale. Witness the clear sweet whistle of the gray-crested titmouse,—the soft, nasal piping of the nuthatch,—the amorous66, vivacious warble of the bluebird,—the long, rich note of the meadowlark,—the whistle of the quail68,—the drumming of the partridge,—the animation69 and loquacity70 of the swallows, and the like. Even the hen has a homely71, contented72 carol; and I credit the owls73 with a desire to fill the night with music. Al birds are incipient74 or would be songsters in the spring. I find corroborative75 evidence of this even in the crowing of the cock. The flowering of the maple32 is not so obvious as that of the magnolia; nevertheless, there is actual inflorescence.
Few writers award any song to that familiar little sparrow, the Socialis; yet who that has observed him sitting by the wayside, and repeating, with devout76 attitude, that fine sliding chant, does not recognize the neglect? Who has heard the snowbird sing? Yet he has a lisping warble very savory77 to the ear. I have heard him indulge in it even in February.
Even the cow bunting feels the musical tendency, and aspires78 to its expression, with the rest. Perched upon the topmost branch beside his mate or mates,—for he is quite a polygamist, and usually has two or three demure79 little ladies in faded black beside him,—generally in the early part of the day, he seems literally80 to vomit81 up his notes. Apparently82 with much labor83 and effort, they gurgle and blubber up out of him, falling on the ear with a peculiar84 subtile ring, as of turning water from a glass bottle, and not without a certain pleasing cadence85.
Neither is the common woodpecker entirely86 insensible to the wooing of the spring, and, like the partridge, testifies his appreciation87 of melody after quite a primitive88 fashion. Passing through the woods on some clear, still morning in March, while the metallic89 ring and tension of winter are still in the earth and air, the silence is suddenly broken by long, resonant90 hammering upon a dry limb or stub. It is Downy beating a reveille to spring. In the utter stillness and amid the rigid91 forms we listen with pleasure; and, as it comes to my ear oftener at this season than at any other, I freely exonerate92 the author of it from the imputation93 of any gastronomic94 motives96, and credit him with a genuine musical performance.
It is to be expected, therefore, that "yellow-hammer" will respond to the general tendency, and contribute his part to the spring chorus. His April call is his finest touch, his most musical expression.
I recall an ancient maple standing97 sentry98 to a large sugar-bush, that, year after year, afforded protection to a brood of yellow-hammers in its decayed heart. A week or two before nesting seemed actually to have begun, three or four of these birds might be seen, on almost any bright morning, gamboling and courting amid its decayed branches. Sometimes you would hear only a gentle persuasive99 cooing, or a quiet confidential100 chattering,—then that long, loud call, taken up by first one, then another, as they sat about upon the naked limbs,—anon, a sort of wild, rollicking laughter, intermingled with various cries, yelps102, and squeals103, as if some incident had excited their mirth and ridicule104. Whether this social hilarity105 and boisterousness106 is in celebration of the pairing or mating ceremony, or whether it is only a sort of annual "house-warming" common among high-holes on resuming their summer quarters, is a question upon which I reserve my judgment107.
Unlike most of his kinsmen108, the golden-wing prefers the fields and the borders of the forest to the deeper seclusion109 of the woods, and hence, contrary to the habit of his tribe, obtains most of his subsistence from the ground, probing it for ants and crickets. He is not quite satisfied with being a woodpecker. He courts the society of the robin and the finches, abandons the trees for the meadow, and feeds eagerly upon berries and grain. What may be the final upshot of this course of living is a question worth the attention of Darwin. Will his taking to the ground and his pedestrian feats112 result in lengthening113 his legs, his feeding upon berries and grains subdue114 his tints116 and soften117 his voice, and his associating with Robin put a song into his heart?
Indeed, what would be more interesting than the history of our birds for the last two or three centuries. There can be no doubt that the presence of man has exerted a very marked and friendly influence upon them, since they so multiply in his society. The birds of California, it is said, were mostly silent till after its settlement, and I doubt if the Indians heard the wood thrush as we hear him. Where did the bobolink disport118 himself before there were meadows in the North and rice fields in the South? Was he the same lithe119, merry-hearted beau then as now? And the sparrow, the lark67, and the goldfinch, birds that seem so indigenous120 to the open fields and so adverse121 to the woods,—we cannot conceive of their existence in a vast wilderness122 and without man.
But to return. The song sparrow, that universal favorite and firstling of the spring, comes before April, and its simple strain gladdens all hearts.
May is the month of the swallows and the orioles. There are many other distinguished123 arrivals, indeed nine tenths of the birds are here by the last week in May, yet the swallows and the orioles are the most conspicuous124. The bright plumage of the latter seems really like an arrival from the tropics. I see them dash through the blossoming trees, and all the forenoon hear their incessant125 warbling and wooing. The swallows dive and chatter101 about the barn, or squeak126 and build beneath the eaves; the partridge drums in the fresh sprouting127 woods; the long, tender note of the meadowlark comes up from the meadow; and at sunset, from every marsh128 and pond come the ten thousand voices of the hylas. May is the transition month, and exists to connect April and June, the root with the flower.
With June the cup is full, our hearts are satisfied, there is no more to be desired. The perfection of the season, among other things, has brought the perfection of the song and the plumage of the birds. The master artists are all here; and the expectations excited by the robin and the song sparrow are fully18 justified129. The thrushes have all come; and I sit down upon the first rock, with hands full of the pink azalea, to listen. With me the cuckoo does not arrive till June; and often the goldfinch, the kingbird, the scarlet130 tanager delay their coming till then. In the meadows the bobolink is in all his glory; in the high pastures the field sparrow sings his breezy vesper-hymn131; and the woods are unfolding to the music of the thrushes.
The cuckoo is one of the most solitary132 birds of our forests, and is strangely tame and quiet, appearing equally untouched by joy or grief, fear or anger. Something remote seems ever weighing upon his mind. His note or call is as of one lost or wandering, and to the farmer is prophetic of rain. Amid the general joy and the sweet assurance of things, I love to listen to the strange clairvoyant133 call. Heard a quarter of a mile away, from out the depths of the forest, there is something peculiarly weird134 and monkish135 about it. Wordsworth's lines upon the European species apply equally well to ours:—"O blithe136 new-comer! I have heard, I hear thee and rejoice: O cuckoo! shall I call thee bird? Or but a wandering voice?
"While I am lying on the grass,
From hill to hill it seems to pass,
At once far off and near!
"Thrice welcome, darling of the spring!
Even yet thou art to me
No bird, but an invisible thing,
A voice, a mystery."
The black-billed is the only species found in my locality, the yellow-billed abounds138 farther south. Their note or call is nearly the same. The former sometimes suggests the voice of a turkey. The call of the latter may be suggested thus: k-k-k-k-k-kow, kow, kow-ow, kow-ow.
The yellow-billed will take up his stand in a tree, and explore its branches till he has caught every worm. He sits on a twig1, and with a peculiar swaying movement of his head examines the surrounding foliage139. When he discovers his prey140, he leaps upon it in a fluttering manner.
In June the black-billed makes a tour through the orchard and garden, regaling himself upon the canker-worms. At this time he is one of the tamest of birds, and will allow you to approach within a few yards of him. I have even come within a few feet of one without seeming to excite his fear or suspicion. He is quite unsophisticated, or else royally indifferent.
The plumage of the cuckoo is a rich glossy141 brown, and is unrivaled in beauty by any other neutral tint115 with which I am acquainted. It is also remarkable142 for its firmness and fineness.
Notwithstanding the disparity in size and color, the black-billed species has certain peculiarities143 that remind one of the passenger pigeon. His eye, with its red circle, the shape of his head, and his motions on alighting and taking flight, quickly suggest the resemblance; though in grace and speed, when on the wing, he is far inferior. His tail seems disproportionately long, like that of the red thrush, and his flight among the trees is very still, contrasting strongly with the honest clatter of the robin or pigeon.
Have you heard the song of the field sparrow? If you have lived in a pastoral country with broad upland pastures, you could hardly have missed him. Wilson, I believe, calls him the grass finch110, and was evidently unacquainted with his powers of song. The two white lateral144 quills145 in his tail, and his habit of running and skulking146 a few yards in advance of you as you walk through the fields, are sufficient to identify him. Not in meadows or orchards147, but in high, breezy pasture-grounds, will you look for him. His song is most noticeable after sundown, when other birds are silent; for which reason he has been aptly called the vesper sparrow. The farmer following his team from the field at dusk catches his sweetest strain. His song is not so brisk and varied148 as that of the song sparrow, being softer and wilder, sweeter and more plaintive. Add the best parts of the lay of the latter to the sweet vibrating chant of the wood sparrow, and you have the evening hymn of the vesper-bird,—the poet of the plain, unadorned pastures. Go to those broad, smooth, uplying fields where the cattle and sheep are grazing, and sit down in the twilight149 on one of those warm, clean stones, and listen to this song. On every side, near and remote, from out the short grass which the herds150 are cropping, the strain rises. Two or three long, silver notes of peace and rest, ending in some subdued151 trills and quavers, constitute each separate song. Often, you will catch only one or two of the bars, the breeze having blown the minor152 part away. Such unambitious, quiet, unconscious melody! It is one of the most characteristic sounds in nature. The grass, the stones, the stubble, the furrow153, the quiet herds, and the warm twilight among the hills, are all subtly expressed in this song; this is what they are at last capable of.
The female builds a plain nest in the open field, without so much as a bush or thistle or tuft of grass to protect it or mark its site; you may step upon it, or the cattle may tread it into the ground. But the danger from this source, I presume, the bird considers less than that from another. Skunks154 and foxes have a very impertinent curiosity, as Finchie well knows; and a bank or hedge, or a rank growth of grass or thistles, that might promise protection and cover to mouse or bird, these cunning rogues155 would be apt to explore most thoroughly. The partridge is undoubtedly156 acquainted with the same process of reasoning; for, like the vesper-bird, she, too, nests in open, unprotected places, avoiding all show of concealment,—coming from the tangled157 and almost impenetrable parts of the forest to the clean, open woods, where she can command all the approaches and fly with equal ease in any direction.
Another favorite sparrow, but little noticed, is the wood or bush sparrow, usually called by the ornithologists Spizella pusilla. Its size and form is that of the socialis, but is less distinctly marked, being of a duller redder tinge. He prefers remote bushy heathery fields, where his song is one of the sweetest to be heard. It is sometimes very noticeable, especially early in spring. I remember sitting one bright day in the still leafless April woods, when one of these birds struck up a few rods from me, repeating its lay at short intervals for nearly an hour. It was a perfect piece of wood-music, and was of course all the more noticeable for being projected upon such a broad unoccupied page of silence. Its song is like the words, fe-o, fe-o, fe-o, few, few, few, fee fee fee, uttered at first high and leisurely159, but running very rapidly toward the close, which is low and soft.
Still keeping among the unrecognized, the white-eyed vireo, or flycatcher, deserves particular mention. The song of this bird is not particularly sweet and soft; on the contrary, it is a little hard and shrill160, like that of the indigo-bird or oriole; but for brightness, volubility, execution, and power of imitation, he is unsurpassed by any of our northern birds. His ordinary note is forcible and emphatic161, but, as stated, not especially musical; Chick-a-re'r-chick, he seems to say, hiding himself in the low, dense162 undergrowth, and eluding163 your most vigilant164 search, as if playing some part in a game. But in July of August, if you are on good terms with the sylvan165 deities166, you may listen to a far more rare and artistic performance. Your first impression will be that that cluster of azalea, or that clump167 of swamp-huckleberry, conceals168 three of four different songsters, each vying169 with the the others to lead the chorus. Such a medley170 of notes, snatched from half the songsters of the field and forest, and uttered with the utmost clearness and rapidity, I am sure you cannot hear short of the haunts of the genuine mockingbird. If not fully and accurately171 repeated, there are at least suggested the notes of the robin, wren, catbird, high-hole, goldfinch, and song sparrow. The pip, pip, of the last is produced so accurately that I verily believe it would deceive the bird herself; and the whole uttered in such rapid succession that it seems as if the movement that gives the concluding note of one strain must form the first note of the next. The effect is very rich, and, to my ear, entirely unique. The performer is very careful not to reveal himself in the mean time; yet there is a conscious air about the strain that impresses me with the idea that my presence is understood and my attention courted. A tone of pride and glee, and, occasionally, of bantering172 jocoseness173, is discernible. I believe it is only rarely, and when he is sure of his audience, that he displays his parts in this manner. You are to look for him, not in tall trees or deep forests, but in low, dense shrubbery about wet places, where there are plenty of gnats175 and mosquitoes.
The winter wren is another marvelous songster, in speaking of whom it is difficult to avoid superlatives. He is not so conscious of is powers and so ambitious of effect as the white-eyed flycatcher, yet you will not be less astonished and delighted on hearing him. He possesses the fluency176 and copiousness177 for which the wrens are noted179, and besides these qualities, and what is rarely found conjoined with them, a wild, sweet, rhythmical180 cadence that holds you entranced. I shall not soon forget that perfect June day, when, loitering in a low, ancient hemlock181 wood, in whose cathedral aisles182 the coolness and freshness seems perennial183, the silence was suddenly broken by a strain so rapid and gushing184, and touched with such a wild, sylvan plaintiveness185, that I listened in amazement186. And so shy and coy was the little minstrel, that I came twice to the woods before I was sure to whom I was listening. In summer he is one of those birds of the deep northern forests, that, like the speckled Canada warbler and the hermit188 thrush, only the privileged ones hear.
The distribution of plants in a given locality is not more marked and defined than that of the birds. Show a botanist189 a landscape, and he will tell you where to look for the lady's-slipper, the columbine, or the harebell. On the same principles the ornithologist158 will direct you where to look for the greenlets, the wood sparrow, or the chewink. In adjoining counties, in the same latitude190, and equally inland, but possessing a different geological formation and different forest-timber, you will observe quite a different class of birds. In a land of the beech191 and sugar maple I do not find the same songsters that I know where thrive the oak, chestnut192, and laurel. In going from a district of the Old Red Sandstone to where I walk upon the old Plutonic Rock, not fifty miles distant, I miss in the woods, the veery, the hermit thrush, the chestnut-sided warbler, the blue-backed warbler, the green-backed warbler, the black and yellow warbler, and many others, and find in their stead the wood thrush, the chewink, the redstart, the yellow-throat, the yellow-breasted flycatcher, the white-eyed flycatcher, the quail, and the turtle dove.
In my neighborhood here in the Highlands the distribution is very marked. South of the village I invariably find one species of birds, north of it another. In only one locality, full of azalea and swamp-huckleberry, I am always sure of finding the hooded193 warbler. In a dense undergrowth of spice-bush, witch-hazel, and alder195, I meet the worm-eating warbler. In a remote clearing, covered with heath and fern, with here and there a chestnut and an oak, I go to hear in July the wood sparrow, and returning by a stumpy, shallow pond, I am sure to find the water-thrush.
Only one locality within my range seems to possess attractions for all comers. Here one may study almost the entire ornithology196 of the State. It is a rocky piece of ground, long ago cleared, but now fast relapsing into the wildness and freedom of nature, and marked by those half-cultivated, half-wild features which birds and boys love. It is bounded on two sides by the village and highway, crossed at various points by carriage-roads, and threaded in all directions by paths and byways, along which soldiers, laborers197, and truant198 school-boys are passing at all hours of the day. It is so far escaping from the axe199 and the bush-hook as to have opened communication with the forest and mountain beyond by straggling lines of cedar200, laurel, and blackberry. The ground is mainly occupied with cedar and chestnut, with an undergrowth, in many place, of heath and bramble. The chief feature, however, is a dense growth in the centre, consisting of dogwood, water-beech, swamp-ash, alder, spice-bush, hazel, etc., with a network of smilax and frost-grape. A little zigzag201 stream, the draining of a swam beyond, which passes through this tanglewood, accounts for many of its features and productions, if not for its entire existence. Birds that are not attracted by the heath, or the cedar and chestnut, are sure to find some excuse for visiting this miscellaneous growth in the centre. Most of the common birds literally throng202 in this idle-wild; and I have met here many of the rarer species, such as the great-crested flycatcher, the solitary warbler, the blue-winged swamp warbler, the worm-eating warbler, the fox sparrow, etc. The absence of all birds of prey, and the great number of flies and insects, both the result of the proximity203 to the village, are considerations which ho hawk204-fearing, peace-loving minstrel passes over lightly; hence the popularity of the resort.
But the crowning glory of all these robins, flycatchers, and warblers is the wood thrush. More abundant than all other birds, except the robin and catbird, he greets you from every rock and shrub174. Shy and reserved when he first makes his appearance in May, before the end of June he is tame and familiar, and sings on the tree over your head, or on the rock a few paces in advance. A pair even built their nest and reared their brood within ten or twelve feet of the piazza205 of a large summer-house in the vicinity. But when the guests commenced to arrive and the piazza to be thronged206 with gay crowds, I noticed something like dread207 and foreboding in the manner of the mother bird; and from her still, quiet ways, and habit of sitting long and silently within a few feet of the precious charge, it seemed as if the dear creature had resolved, if possible, to avoid all observation.
If we take the quality of melody as the test, the wood thrush, hermit thrush, and the veery thrush stand at the head of our list of songsters.
The mockingbird undoubtedly possesses the greatest range of mere talent, the most varied executive ability, and never fails to surprise and delight one anew at each hearing; but being mostly an imitator, he never approaches the serene209 beauty and sublimity210 of the hermit thrush. The word that best expresses my feelings, on hearing the mockingbird, is admiration211, though the first emotion is one of surprise and incredulity. That so many and such various notes should proceed from one throat is a marvel, and we regard the performance with feelings akin23 to those we experience on witnessing the astounding212 feats of the athlete or gymnast,—and this, notwithstanding many of the notes imitated have all the freshness and sweetness of the originals. The emotions excited by the songs of these thrushes belong to a higher order, springing as they do from our deepest sense of the beauty and harmony of the world.
The wood thrush is worthy of all, and more than all, the praises he has received; and considering the number of his appreciative213 listeners, it is not a little surprising that his relative and equal, the hermit thrush, should have received so little notice. Both the great ornithologists, Wilson and Audubon, are lavish214 in their praises of the former, but have little or nothing to say of the song of the latter. Audubon says it is sometimes agreeable, but evidently has never heard it. Nuttall, I am glad to find, is more discriminating215, and does the bird fuller justice.
It is quite a rare bird, of very shy and secluded216 habits, being found in the Middle and Eastern States, during the period of song, only in the deepest and most remote forests, usually in damp and swampy217 localities. On this account the people in the Adirondack region call it the "Swamp Angel." Its being so much of a recluse218 accounts for the comparative ignorance that prevails in regard to it.
The cast of its song is very much like that of the wood thrush, and a good observer might easily confound the two. But hear them together and the difference is quite marked: the song of the hermit is in a higher key, and is more wild and ethereal. His instrument is a silver horn which he winds in the most solitary places. The song of the wood thrush is more golden and leisurely. Its tone comes near to that of some rare stringed instrument. One feels that perhaps the wood thrush has more compass and power, if he would only let himself out, but on the whole he comes a little short of the pure, serene, hymn-like strain of the hermit.
Yet those who have heard only the wood thrush may well place him first on the list. He is truly a royal minstrel, and, considering his liberal distribution throughout our Atlantic seaboard, perhaps contributes more than any other bird to our sylvan melody. One may object that he spends a little too much time in tuning219 his instrument, yet his careless and uncertain touches reveal its rare compass and power.
He is the only songster of my acquaintance excepting the canary, that displays different degrees of proficiency220 in the exercise of his musical gifts. Not long since, while walking one Sunday in the edge of an orchard adjoining a wood, I heard one that so obviously and unmistakably surpassed all his rivals, that my companion, although slow to notice such things, remarked it wonderingly; and with one accord we paused to listen to so rare a performer. It was not different in quality so much as in quantity. Such a flood of it! Such copiousness! Such long, trilling, accelerating preludes221! Such sudden, ecstatic overtures222 would have intoxicated223 the dullest ear. He was really without a compeer,—a master artist. Twice afterward224 I was conscious of having heard the same bird.
The wood thrush is the handsomest species of this family. In grace and elegance of manner he has no equal. Such a gentle, high-bred air, and such inimitable ease and composure in his flight and movement! He is a poet in very word and deed. His carriage is music to the eye. His performance of the commonest act, as catching225 a beetle226, or picking a worm from the mud, pleases like a stroke of wit or eloquence227. Was he a prince in the olden time, and do the regal grace and mien228 still adhere to him in his transformation229? What a finely proportioned form! How plain, yet rich, his color,—the bright russet of his back, the clear white of his breast, with the distinct heart-shaped spots! It may be objected to Robin that he is noisy and demonstrative; he hurries away or rises to a branch with an angry note, and flirts231 his wings in ill-bred suspicion. The mavis, or red thrush, sneaks232 and skulks233 like a culprit, hiding in the densest234 alders235; the catbird is a coquette and a flirt230, as well as a sort of female Paul Pry236; and the chewink shows his inhospitality by espying237 your movements like a Japanese. The wood thrush has none of theses underbred traits. He regards me unsuspiciously, or avoids me with a noble reserve,—or, if I am quiet and incurious, graciously hops238 toward me, as if to pay his respects, or to make my acquaintance. I have passed under his nest within a few feet of his mate and brood, when he sat near by on a branch eying me sharply, but without opening his beak38; but the moment I raised my hand toward his defenseless household, his anger and indignation were beautiful to behold239.
What a noble pride he has! Late one October, after his mates and companions had long since gone south, I noticed one for several successive days in the dense part of this next-door wood, flitting noiselessly about, very grave and silent, as if doing penance240 for some violation241 of the code of honor. By many gentle, indirect approaches, I perceived that part of his tail-feathers were undeveloped. The sylvan prince could not think of returning to court in this plight242, and so, amid the falling leaves and cold rains of autumn, was patiently biding243 his time.
The soft, mellow244 flute of the veery fills a place in the chorus of the woods that the song of the vesper sparrow fills in the chorus of the fields. It has the nightingale's habit of singing in the twilight, as indeed have all our thrushes. Walk out toward the forest in the warm twilight of a June day, and when fifty rods distant you will hear their soft, reverberating245 notes rising from a dozen different throats.
It is one of the simplest strains to be heard,—as simple as the curve in form, delighting from the pure element of harmony and beauty it contains, and not from any novel or fantastic modulation246 of it,—thus contrasting strongly with such rollicking, hilarious247 songsters as the bobolink, in whom we are chiefly pleased with tintinnabulation, the verbal and labial248 excellence249, and the evident conceit250 and delight of the performer.
I hardly know whether I am more pleased or annoyed with the catbird. Perhaps she is a little too common, and her part in the general chorus a little too conspicuous. If you are listening for the note of another bird, she is sure to be prompted to the most loud and protracted251 singing, drowning all other sounds; If you sit quietly down to observe a favorite or study a new-comer, her curiosity knows no bounds, and you are scanned and ridiculed252 from every point of observation. Yet I would not miss her; I would only subordinate her a little, make her less conspicuous.
She is the parodist253 of the woods, and there is ever a mischievous254, bantering, half-ironical undertone in her lay, as if she were conscious of mimicking255 and disconcerting some envied songster. Ambitious of song, practicing and rehearsing in private, she yet seems the least sincere and genuine of the sylvan minstrels, as if she had taken up music only to be in the fashion, or not to be outdone by the robins and thrushes. In other words, she seems to sing from some outward motive95, and not from inward joyousness256. She is a good versifier, but not a great poet. Vigorous, rapid, copious178, not without fine touches, but destitute257 of any high, serene melody, her performance, like that of Thoreau's squirrel, always implies a spectator.
There is a certain air and polish about her strain, however, like that in the vivacious conversation of a well-bred lady of the world, that commands respect. Her maternal258 instinct, also, is very strong, and that simple structure of dead twigs and dry grass is the center of much anxious solicitude259. Not long since, while strolling through the woods, my attention was attracted to a small densely260 grown swamp, hedged in with eglantine, brambles, and the everlasting261 smilax, from which proceeded loud cries of distress262 and alarm, indicating that some terrible calamity263 was threatening my sombre-colored minstrel. On effecting an entrance, which, however, was not accomplished264 till I had doffed265 coat and hat, so as to diminish the surface exposed to the thorns and brambles, and, looking around me from a square yard of terra firma, I found myself the spectator of a loathsome266 yet fascinating scene. Three or four yards from me was the nest, beneath which, in long festoons, rested a huge black snake; a bird two thirds grown was slowly disappearing between his expanded jaws267. As he seemed unconscious of my presence, I quietly observed the proceedings268. By slow degrees he compassed the bird about with his elastic269 mouth; his head flattened270, his neck writhed271 and swelled272, and two or three undulatory movements of his glistening273 body finished the work. Then he cautiously raised himself up, his tongue flaming from his mouth the while, curved over the nest, and with wavy274 subtle motions, explored the interior. I can conceive of nothing more overpoweringly terrible to an unsuspecting family of birds than the sudden appearance above their domicile of the head and neck of this arch-enemy. It is enough to petrify275 the blood in their veins276. Not finding the object of his search, he came streaming down from the nest to a lower limb, and commenced extending his researches in other directions, sliding stealthily through the branches, bent on capturing on of the parent birds. That a legless, wingless creature should move with such ease and rapidity where only birds and squirrels are considered at home, lifting himself up, letting himself down, running out on the yielding boughs277, and traversing with marvelous celerity the whole length and breadth of the thicket278, was truly surprising. One thinks of the great myth of the Tempter and the "cause of all our woe," and wonders if the Arch One is not now playing off some of his pranks279 before him. Whether we call it snake or devil matters little. I could but admire his terrible beauty, however; his black, shining folds, his easy, gliding280 movement, head erect281, eyes glistening, tongue playing like subtle flame, and the invisible means of his almost winged locomotion282.
The parent birds, in the mean while, kept up the most agonizing283 cry,—at times fluttering furiously about their pursuer, and actually laying hold of his tail with their beaks284 and claws. On being thus attacked, the snake would suddenly double upon himself and follow his won body back, thus executing a strategic movement that at first seemed almost to paralyze his victim and place her within his grasp. Not quite, however. Before his jaws could close upon the coveted285 prize the bird would tear herself away, and, apparently faint and sobbing286, retire to a higher branch. His reputed powers of fascination287 availed him little, though it is possible that a frailer288 and less combative289 bird might have been held by the fatal spell. Presently, as he came gliding down the slender body of a leaning alder, his attention was attracted by a slight movement of my arm; eyeing me an instant, with that crouching290, utter motionless gaze which I believe only snakes and devils can assume, he turned quickly,—a feat111 which necessitated291 something like crawling over his own body,—and glided292 off through the branches, evidently recognizing in me a representative of the ancient parties he once so cunningly ruined. A few moments after, as he lay carelessly disposed in the top of a rank alder, trying to look as much like a crowded branch as his supple293, shining form would admit, the old vengeance294 overtook him. I exercised my prerogative295, and a well-directed missile, in the shape of a stone, brought him looping and writhing296 to the ground. After I had completed his downfall and quiet had been partially297 restored, a half-fledged member of the bereaved298 household came out from his hiding-place, and, jumping upon a decayed branch, chirped299 vigorously, no doubt in celebration of the victory.
Till the middle of July there is a general equilibrium300; the tide stands poised301; the holiday spirit is unabated. But as the harvest ripens303 beneath the long, hot days, the melody gradually ceases. The young are out of the nest and must be cared for, and the moulting season is at hand. After the cricket has commenced to drone his monotonous304 refrain beneath your window, you will not, till another season, hear the wood thrush in all his matchless eloquence. The bobolink has become careworn305 and fretful, and blurts306 out snatches of his song between his scolding and upbraiding307, as you approach the vicinity of his nest, oscillating between anxiety for his brood and solicitude for his musical reputation. Some of the sparrows still sing, and occasionally across the hot fields, from a tall tree in the edge of the forest, comes the rich note of the scarlet tanager. This tropical-colored bird loves the hottest weather, and I hear him even in dog-days.
The remainder of the summer is the carnival308 of the swallows and flycatchers. Flies and insects, to any amount, are to be had for the catching; and the opportunity is well improved. See that sombre, ashen-colored pewee on yonder branch. A true sportsman he, who never takes his game at rest, but always on the wing. You vagrant309 fly, you purblind310 moth208, beware how you come within his range! Observe his attitude, the curious movement of his head, his "eye in a fine frenzy311 rolling, glancing from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven."
His sight is microscopic312 and his aim sure. Quick as thought he has seized his victim and is back to his perch17. There is no strife313, no pursuit,—one fell swoop314 and the matter is ended. That little sparrow, as you will observe, is less skilled. It is the Socialis, and he finds his subsistence properly in various seeds and the larvae315 of insects, though he occasionally has higher aspirations316, and seeks to emulate317 the peewee, commencing and ending his career as a flycatcher by an awkward chase after a beetle or "miller318." He is hunting around in the dull grass now, I suspect, with the desire to indulge this favorite whim319. There!—the opportunity is afforded him. Away goes a little cream-colored meadow-moth in the most tortuous320 course he is capable of, and away goes Socialis in pursuit. The contest is quite comical, though I dare say it is serious enough to the moth. The chase continues for a few yards, when there is a sudden rushing to cover in the grass,—then a taking to wing again, when the search has become to close, and the moth has recovered his wind. Socialis chirps321 angrily, and is determined322 not to be beaten. Keeping, with the slightest effort, upon the heels of the fugitive323, he is ever on the point of halting to snap him up, but never quite does it,—and so, between disappointment and expectation, is soon disgusted and returns to pursue his more legitimate324 means of subsistence.
In striking contrast to this serio-comic strife of the sparrow and the moth, is he pigeon hawk's pursuit of the sparrow or the goldfinch. It is a race of surprising speed and agility325. It is a test of wing and wind. Every muscle is taxed, and every nerve strained. Such cries of terror and consternation326 on the part of the bird, tacking327 to the right and left, and making the most desperate efforts to escape, and such silent determination on the part of the hawk, pressing the bird so closely, flashing and turning, and timing328 his movements with those of the pursued as accurately and as inexorably as if the two constituted one body, excite feelings of the deepest concern. You mount the fence or rush out of your way to see the issue. The only salvation329 for the bird is to adopt the tactics of the moth, seeking instantly the cover of some tree, bush or hedge, where its smaller size enables it to move about more rapidly. These pirates are aware of this, and therefore prefer to take their prey by one fell swoop. You may see one of them prowling through an orchard, with the yellowbirds hovering about him, crying, Pi-ty, pi-ty, in the most desponding tone; yet he seems not to regard them, knowing, as do they, that in the close branches they are as safe as if in a wall of adamant330.
August is the month of the high-sailing hawks331. The hen-hawk is the most noticeable. He likes the haze194 and calm of these long, warm days. He is a bird of leisure, and seems always at his ease. How beautiful and majestic332 are his movements! So self-poised and easy, such an entire absence of haste, such a magnificent amplitude333 of circles and spirals, such a haughty334, imperial grace, and, occasionally, such daring aerial evolutions!
With slow, leisurely movement, rarely vibrating his pinions335, he mounts and mounts in an ascending336 spiral till he appears a mere speck187 against the summer sky; then, if the mood seizes him, with wings half closed, like a bent bow, he will cleave337 the air almost perpendicularly338, as if intent on dashing himself to pieces against the earth; but on nearing the ground he suddenly mounts again on broad, expanded wing, as if rebounding339 upon the air, and sails leisurely away. It is the sublimest340 feat of the season. One holds his breath till he sees him rise again.
If inclined to a more gradual and less precipitous descent, he fixes his eye on some distant point in the earth beneath him, and thither341 bends his course. He is still almost meteoric342 in his speed and boldness. You see his path down the heavens, straight as a line; if near, you hear the rush of his wings; his shadow hurtles across the fields, and in an instant you see him quietly perched upon some low tree or decayed stub in a swamp or meadow, with reminiscences of frogs and mice stirring in his maw.
When the south wind blows, it is a study to see three or four of these air-kings at the head of the valley far up toward the mountain, balancing and oscillating upon the strong current; now quite stationary343, except a slight tremulous motion like the poise302 of a rope-dancer, then rising and falling in long undulations, and seeming to resign themselves passively to the wind; or, again sailing high and level far above the mountain's peak, no bluster344 and haste, but as stated, occasionally a terrible earnestness and speed. Fire at one as he sails overhead and, unless wounded badly, he will not change his course or gait.
His flight is a perfect picture of repose345 in motion. It strikes the eye as more surprising than the flight of a pigeon, and swallow even, in that the effort put forth346 is so uniform and delicate as to escape observation, giving to the movement an air of buoyancy and perpetuity, the effluence of power rather than the conscious application of it.
The calmness and dignity of this hawk, when attacked by crows or the kingbird, are well worth of him. He seldom deigns347 to notice his noisy and furious antagonists348, but deliberately349 wheels about in that aerial spiral, and mounts and mounts till his pursuers grow dizzy and return to earth again. It is quite original, this mode of getting rid of an unworthy opponent, rising to the heights where the braggart350 is dazed and bewildered and loses his reckoning! I am not sure but is is worthy of imitation.
But summer wanes351, and autumn approaches. The songsters of the seed-time are silent at the reaping of the harvest. Other minstrels take up the strain. It is the heyday352 of insect life. The day is canopied353 with musical sound. All the songs of the spring and summer appear to be floating, softened354 and refined, in the upper air. The birds, in a new but less holiday suit, turn their faces southward. The swallows flock and go; the bobolinks flock and go; silently and unobserved, the thrushes go. Autumn arrives, bringing finches, warblers, sparrows, and kinglets from the north. Silently the procession passes. Yonder hawk, sailing peacefully away till he is lost in the horizon, is a symbol of the closing season and the departing birds. 1863.
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1
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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rehabilitation
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| n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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wren
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| n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员 | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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13
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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14
plaintively
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| adv.悲哀地，哀怨地 | |
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plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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17
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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saucy
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| adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的 | |
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robins
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| n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书） | |
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wrens
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| n.鹪鹩( wren的名词复数 ) | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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scour
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| v.搜索；擦，洗，腹泻，冲刷 | |
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groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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maple
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| n.槭树，枫树，槭木 | |
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maples
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| 槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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40
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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41
heralds
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| n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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plebeian
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| adj.粗俗的；平民的；n.平民；庶民 | |
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masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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44
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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45
gossamer
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| n.薄纱，游丝 | |
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46
jingle
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| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
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47
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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48
flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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50
poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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51
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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52
aristocrat
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| n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物 | |
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53
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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54
vivacious
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| adj.活泼的，快活的 | |
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55
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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56
prospecting
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| n.探矿 | |
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57
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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58
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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59
alias
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| n.化名；别名；adv.又名 | |
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60
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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61
culminate
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| v.到绝顶，达于极点，达到高潮 | |
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62
sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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63
iris
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| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
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64
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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65
syllables
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| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
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66
amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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67
lark
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| n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏 | |
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68
quail
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| n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖 | |
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69
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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70
loquacity
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| n.多话，饶舌 | |
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71
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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72
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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73
owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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74
incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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75
corroborative
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| adj.确证（性）的，确凿的 | |
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76
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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77
savory
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| adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的 | |
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78
aspires
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的第三人称单数 ) | |
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79
demure
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| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
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80
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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81
vomit
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| v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物 | |
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82
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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83
labor
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|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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84
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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85
cadence
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| n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫 | |
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86
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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87
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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88
primitive
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|
| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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89
metallic
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|
| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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90
resonant
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| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
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91
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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92
exonerate
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| v.免除责任，确定无罪 | |
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93
imputation
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| n.归罪，责难 | |
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94
gastronomic
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| adj.美食（烹饪）法的，烹任学的 | |
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95
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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96
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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97
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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98
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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99
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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100
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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101
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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102
yelps
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| n.（因痛苦、气愤、兴奋等的）短而尖的叫声( yelp的名词复数 )v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的第三人称单数 ) | |
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103
squeals
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| n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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104
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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105
hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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106
boisterousness
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| n.喧闹；欢跃；（风暴）狂烈 | |
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107
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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108
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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109
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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110
finch
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| n.雀科鸣禽(如燕雀，金丝雀等) | |
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111
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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112
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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113
lengthening
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的现在分词 )； 加长 | |
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114
subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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115
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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116
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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117
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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118
disport
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| v.嬉戏，玩 | |
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119
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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120
indigenous
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| adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的 | |
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121
adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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122
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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123
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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124
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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125
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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126
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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127
sprouting
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| v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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128
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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129
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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130
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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131
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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132
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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133
clairvoyant
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| adj.有预见的；n.有预见的人 | |
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134
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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135
monkish
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| adj.僧侣的，修道士的，禁欲的 | |
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136
blithe
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| adj.快乐的，无忧无虑的 | |
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137
smites
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的第三人称单数 ) | |
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138
abounds
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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139
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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140
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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141
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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142
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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143
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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144
lateral
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| adj.侧面的，旁边的 | |
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145
quills
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| n.（刺猬或豪猪的）刺( quill的名词复数 )；羽毛管；翮；纡管 | |
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146
skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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147
orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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148
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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149
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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150
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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151
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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152
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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153
furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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154
skunks
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| n.臭鼬( skunk的名词复数 )；臭鼬毛皮；卑鄙的人；可恶的人 | |
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155
rogues
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| n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽 | |
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156
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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157
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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158
ornithologist
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| n.鸟类学家 | |
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159
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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160
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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161
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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162
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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163
eluding
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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164
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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165
sylvan
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| adj.森林的 | |
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166
deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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167
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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168
conceals
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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169
vying
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| adj.竞争的；比赛的 | |
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170
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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171
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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172
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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173
jocoseness
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174
shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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175
gnats
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| n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 ) | |
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176
fluency
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| n.流畅，雄辩，善辩 | |
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177
copiousness
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| n.丰裕，旺盛 | |
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178
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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179
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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180
rhythmical
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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181
hemlock
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| n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉 | |
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182
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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183
perennial
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| adj.终年的；长久的 | |
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184
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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185
plaintiveness
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186
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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187
speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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188
hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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189
botanist
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| n.植物学家 | |
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190
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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191
beech
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| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
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192
chestnut
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| n.栗树，栗子 | |
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193
hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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194
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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195
alder
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| n.赤杨树 | |
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196
ornithology
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| n.鸟类学 | |
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197
laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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198
truant
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| n.懒惰鬼，旷课者；adj.偷懒的，旷课的，游荡的；v.偷懒，旷课 | |
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199
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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200
cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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201
zigzag
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| n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行 | |
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202
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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203
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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204
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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205
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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206
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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207
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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208
moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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209
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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210
sublimity
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| 崇高，庄严，气质高尚 | |
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211
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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212
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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213
appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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214
lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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215
discriminating
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| a.有辨别能力的 | |
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216
secluded
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|
| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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217
swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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218
recluse
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| n.隐居者 | |
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219
tuning
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| n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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220
proficiency
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| n.精通，熟练，精练 | |
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221
preludes
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| n.开端( prelude的名词复数 )；序幕；序曲；短篇作品 | |
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222
overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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223
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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224
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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225
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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226
beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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227
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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228
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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229
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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230
flirt
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| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
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231
flirts
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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232
sneaks
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| abbr.sneakers (tennis shoes) 胶底运动鞋（网球鞋）v.潜行( sneak的第三人称单数 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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233
skulks
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的第三人称单数 ) | |
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234
densest
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| 密集的( dense的最高级 )； 密度大的； 愚笨的； （信息量大得）难理解的 | |
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235
alders
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| n.桤木( alder的名词复数 ) | |
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236
pry
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| vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起) | |
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237
espying
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| v.看到( espy的现在分词 ) | |
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238
hops
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| 跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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239
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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240
penance
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|
| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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241
violation
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|
| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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242
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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243
biding
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| v.等待，停留( bide的现在分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待；面临 | |
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244
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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245
reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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246
modulation
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| n.调制 | |
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247
hilarious
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| adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed | |
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248
labial
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| adj.唇的；唇音的；n.唇音，风琴管 | |
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249
excellence
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|
| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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250
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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251
protracted
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|
| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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252
ridiculed
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| v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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253
parodist
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|
| n.打油诗作者，诙谐文作者 | |
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254
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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255
mimicking
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| v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的现在分词 )；酷似 | |
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256
joyousness
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| 快乐，使人喜悦 | |
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257
destitute
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|
| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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258
maternal
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|
| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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259
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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260
densely
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| ad.密集地；浓厚地 | |
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261
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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262
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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263
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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264
accomplished
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|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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265
doffed
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| v.脱去，（尤指）脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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266
loathsome
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|
| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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267
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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268
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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269
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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270
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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271
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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272
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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273
glistening
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|
| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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274
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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275
petrify
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| vt.使发呆；使…变成化石 | |
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276
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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277
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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278
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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279
pranks
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| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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280
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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281
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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282
locomotion
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| n.运动，移动 | |
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283
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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284
beaks
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| n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者 | |
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285
coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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286
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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287
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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288
frailer
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| 脆弱的( frail的比较级 )； 易损的； 易碎的 | |
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289
combative
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| adj.好战的；好斗的 | |
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290
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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291
necessitated
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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292
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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293
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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294
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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295
prerogative
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| n.特权 | |
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296
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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297
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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298
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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299
chirped
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| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的过去式 ) | |
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300
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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301
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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302
poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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303
ripens
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的第三人称单数 ) | |
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304
monotonous
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|
| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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305
careworn
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| adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的 | |
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306
blurts
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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307
upbraiding
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| adj.& n.谴责（的）v.责备，申斥，谴责( upbraid的现在分词 ) | |
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308
carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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309
vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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310
purblind
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| adj.半盲的；愚笨的 | |
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311
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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312
microscopic
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| adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的 | |
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313
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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314
swoop
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| n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击 | |
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315
larvae
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| n.幼虫 | |
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316
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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317
emulate
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| v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿 | |
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318
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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319
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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320
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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321
chirps
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| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的第三人称单数 )； 啾； 啾啾 | |
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322
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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323
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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324
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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325
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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326
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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327
tacking
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| （帆船）抢风行驶，定位焊[铆]紧钉 | |
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328
timing
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| n.时间安排，时间选择 | |
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329
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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330
adamant
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| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
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331
hawks
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| 鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物 | |
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332
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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333
amplitude
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| n.广大；充足；振幅 | |
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334
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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335
pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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336
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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337
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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338
perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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339
rebounding
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| 蹦跳运动 | |
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340
sublimest
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| 伟大的( sublime的最高级 )； 令人赞叹的； 极端的； 不顾后果的 | |
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341
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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342
meteoric
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| adj.流星的，转瞬即逝的，突然的 | |
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343
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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344
bluster
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| v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声 | |
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345
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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346
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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347
deigns
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的第三人称单数 ) | |
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348
antagonists
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| 对立[对抗] 者，对手，敌手( antagonist的名词复数 )； 对抗肌； 对抗药 | |
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349
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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350
braggart
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| n.吹牛者；adj.吹牛的，自夸的 | |
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351
wanes
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| v.衰落( wane的第三人称单数 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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352
heyday
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| n.全盛时期，青春期 | |
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353
canopied
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| adj. 遮有天篷的 | |
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354
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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