I appologize for neglecting to blog as frequently as I had before, but it’s been a crazy week at school. In fact, I haven’t even seen my roommate for two days, just to put that into perspective. Anyhoo, here is a short entry that should entertain you until I can devote enough time for a more thorough post:
I recently finished reading Essays by E.B. White, who is my favorite essayist, and came across a funny collection of bird observations (please don’t yawn too loudly) in an essay titled, ”Mr. Forbush’s Friends.” In a nutshell, it’s about an ornithologist (professional bird watcher) who had a knack for collecting interesting tidbits about birds, in hopes of publishing a two-volume book detailing his life-long observations of his favorite feathered creatures. White interviewed many of Forbush’s fellow bird enthusiasts and collected thousands of interesting facts, some of which are concisely included in the essay. Without further adieu, here are two quotes that I hope will cheer up those of you studying for finals.
“Mr. Frithof Kumlien. Tells of an old, worn, partly blind blue jay that was fed, tended, and guarded by his companions, who never deserted him. They regularly guided him to a spring, where he bathed.”
“Dr. Mary F. Hobart, of Needham. Male bluebird became infatuated with a caged canary. Began flirtation on May 16th, continued it while own mate was busy incubating eggs. Frequently alighted on canary’s cage, offered worms, caterpillars. July 1st, saw error of ways or tired of color yellow, returned to mate, resumed parental duties. No date.”
I came across this handsome bird at the 2010 Foxfield Races.
(Originally posted July 8, 2010)
