Identifier: birdneighborsint00blacha (find matches)
Title: Bird neighbors : an introductory acquaintance with one hundred and fifty birds commonly found in the gardens, meadows, and woods about our homes
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Blanchan, Neltje, 1865-1918
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York : Doubleday & McClure
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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lphur yellow under wings. Dark brown,heavy beak. Range—Eastern North America, from southern Canada to Panama. Migratiotis—Early May. September. Summer resident. A certain ornithologist tells with complacent pride of havingshot over fifty-eight rose-breasted grosbeaks in less than threeweeks (during the breeding season) to learn what kind of foodthey had in their crops. This kind of devotion to science mayhave quite as much to do with the growing scarcity of this birdin some localities as the demands of the milliners, who, however,receive all of the blame for the slaughter of our beautiful songsters.The formers in Pennsylvania, who, with more truth than poetry,call this the potato-bug bird, are taking active measures, how-ever, to protect the neighbor that is more useful to their crop thanall the insecticides known. It also eats flies, wasps, and grubs. Seen upon the ground, the dark bird is scarcely attractive withhis clumsy beak overbalancing a head that protrudes with stupid- 60
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ROSE-BREASTED G-ROSSBEAKS.yi6 Life-size. Conspicuously Black and White looking awkwardness; but as he rises into the trees his lovelyrose-colored breast and under-wing feathers are seen, and beforehe has had time to repeat his delicious, rich-voiced warble youare already in love with him. Vibrating his wings after themanner of the mocking-bird, he pours forth a marvellously sweet,clear, mellow song (with something of the quality of the orioles,robins, and thrushs notes), making the day on which you firsthear it memorable. This is one of the few birds that sing atnight. A soft, sweet, rolling warble, heard when the moon is atits full on a midsummer night, is more than likely to come fromthe rose-breasted grosbeak. It is not that his quiet little sparrow-like wife has advancednotions of feminine independence that he takes his turn at sittingupon the nest, but that he is one of the most unselfish and devotedof mates. With their combined efforts they construct only acoarse, unlovely cradl

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