The pyrrhic is rightfully dismissed. Its existence in either ancient or modern rhythm is purely chimerical, and the insisting on so perplexing a nonentity as a foot of two short syllables, affords, perhaps, the best evidence of the gross irrationality and subservience to authority which characterize our Prosody… Edgar Allen Poe
From the Sonoran Desert Field Guide:
Small flocks of Phrrhuxloxia hasten, pause, and glean in brush for bugs, seeds, and fruits. They are not, some say, as cheery as the northern cardinal, which arrived in the Sonoran desert in the mid 19th century. Perhaps the Phrrhuxloxia is more stoic, having had more time to adjust to the austerities of desert life. Regardless of the emotional tenor of the species’ voice, the crest of this “very fancy bird” with its “very fancy name” shows “every change of mood” with quick up and down motions indicating listlessness… alertness…. curiosity and ennui.” Gusse Smith, in her charming book “Birds of the Southwestern Desert,” writes that this species nests “early among the thorns, building neatly of twigs, course grass, with fine fibers for lining. If you approach too near they voice a worried little purring “cheek-cheek” full of plaintive friendliness. No one can hear that sound and remain unmoved.”
Dewdrop World 