he incessant trilling or running
accompaniment of the Hair-Bird, the twittering of the Swallow, and the
loud and melodious piping of the Oriole, frequent and short, are sounded
like the different parts of a regular band of instruments, and each
performer seems to time his part as if by design. Any discordant sound,
that may happen to be made in the midst of this performance, never fails
to disturb the equanimity of the singers, and some minutes must elapse
before they recommence their parts.

It would be difficult to draw a correct comparison between the different
birds and the various instruments in an orchestra. It would be more easy
to signify them by notes on the gamut. But if the Robin were supposed to
represent the German flute, the Blue-Bird might be considered as the
flageolet, frequently, but not incessantly, interposing a few mellow
strains, the Swallow and the Hair-Bird the octave flute, and the Golden
Robin the bugle, sounding occasionally a low but brief strain. The
analogy could not be carried farther without losing force and
correctness.

All the notes of the Blue-Bird--his call-notes, his notes of alarm, his
chirp, and his song--are equally plaintive, and closely resemble each
other. I am not aware that this bird ever utters a harsh note. His
voice, which is one of the earliest to be heard in the spring, is
associated with the early flowers and with all pleasant vernal
influences. When he first arrives, he perches upon the roof of a barn or
upon some still leafless tree, and pours forth his few and frequent
notes with evident fervor, as if conscious of the delights that await
him. These mellow notes are all the sounds he titters for several weeks,
seldom chirping, crying, or scolding like other birds. His song is
discontinued in the latter part of summer; but his peculiar plaintive
call, consisting of a single note pensively modulated, continues all
day, until the time of frost. This sound is one of the melodies of
summer's decline, and reminds us, like the notes of the green nocturnal
grasshopper, of the fall of the leaf, the ripened harvest, and all the
melancholy pleasures of autumn.

The Blue-Bird builds his nest in hollow trees and posts, and may be
encouraged to breed and multiply around our habitations, by erecting
boxes for his accommodation. In whatever vicinity we may reside, whether
in the clearing or in the heart of the village, if we set up a little
bird-house in May, it will certainly be