Identifier: birdlifeguid00chap (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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ously twitching their wings arecharacteristic. Taking the small size of the bird into consideration,the Ruby-crowns song is one of the most marvelous vo-cal performances among birds. As Dr. Coues remarks,the sound-producing organ is not larger than a pinhead,and the muscles that move it are almost microscopicshreds of flesh; still, the birds song is not only surpass-ingly sweet, varied, and sustained, but is possessed of suf-ficient volume to be heard at a distance of two hundredyards. Fortunately, the Ruby-crown sings both on itsspring and fall migrations. Thrushes, Bluebirds, etc. (Family Turdid^e.) On the basis of certain details of structure Thrushesare generally assigned highest rank in the class Aves.Without pausing to discuss the value of the characters onwhich this classification is made, there can be no questionthat from an aesthetic standpoint the Thrushes possess ina greater degree than any other birds those qualificationswhich make the ideal bird. There are many birds with
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Plate LXXIV. Page 184. WOOD THRUSH. Length, 8-30 inches. Upper parts bright, rusty cinnamon, brightest onback and crown; under parts white everywhere, except center of belly,with large, rounded black spots. VEERY. . 183 brighter plumage, more striking voices, and more inter-esting habits, but there are none whose bearing is more dis-tinguished, whose songs are more spiritual. The brilliantHummingbirds and Tanagers excite our admiration, butthe gentle, retiring Thrushes appeal to our higher emo-tions ; their music gives voice to our noblest aspirations. Five of the true Thrushes of the genus Turdus arefound in eastern North America. Three of them maybe mentioned here—the Veery, Wood Thrush, and Her-mit Thrush—a peerless trio of songsters. The Veerysmysterious voice vibrates through the air in pulsatingcircles of song, like the strains of an iEolian harp. TheWood Thrushs notes are ringing and bell-like; he soundsthe matin and vesper chimes of day, while the Hermitshymn echoes throug

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