At sea, Apr. 6—It often occurs to me that sound plays a far more important part than sight bird observation, and this was certainly the case on the occasion of my last walk before starting on this northward trip: the sky. wns ull and overcast (probably the forerunner of the weather I am now in the midst of).. and the first sound T heard on gelting oni of my car beside the Rubicon Creek was com bination of the Pheasant's call and the bubbling "Oh-ohoh-oh-RICHard" of a. Bush Warbler and at the end of a six mile walk T could safely say that, though 1 had seen only a fow Pheasfants, and not one Bush Warbler, 1 had never Jeeased to hear the call of cither or both from minute to minute: the Pheasants, now #0 humorous, were lying hidden in the fully-grown crops; and the Warblers, so recently arrived were not leaving the perches. they are now selecting: with a view to establishing breeding. ferrilory. Another new arrival soon announced himself to me, though 1 could not seo a single Dird:_this was that very small summer visitor the Fontalled Warbler—a tiny little streak of bitd which chirps away with a monotonous squeak from a hundred feet up and then, sud-Henly descending to a perch among the' corn, changes the sound to something like the clink: ling of two coins together, just before he Lauds, (remo.: belter change his simile in future Notes as il may very soon not be recognized). And then as T got back to my car to hear the ast Pheasant elude and the last Warbler gvrgte, 1 heard faintly but distinctly the famillir "Cuckoo" of the homeside bird, which must not be confused with the irritating call for the "oue.more-bottle" or Indian Cuckoo: the migrating bird which T write of never stays with us in summer and hix nearest breed ing-ground is Weihaiwei....to which port this bouncing, cork-serewing sicumer is conveying me. through a Westerly gale. And a the Cuckoo is known at home as a Gowk (or fool)
Tam wondering who will. got there frst... Tr....or the other one. Steward!—rs.v.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.