1 24 E VOL UTION OF BIRD- SONG 



whereas the greenfinch has but two distinct call- 

 notes, did it and tell tell, and both sexes of the chaf- 

 finch have not more the autumnal call, and the 

 cJiissick) which the young chaffinches employ towards 

 their parents, and which the sexes employ towards 

 each other in spring. 



Before tracing family resemblances in the voices 

 of the great family of the finches, it would be well to 

 retrace the scale of similarities from the pipits to the 

 present point. The calls of the wagtails generally 

 are alike, but Ray's wagtail has a call-note like the 

 tree-pipit. Richard's pipit also resembles the wag- 

 tails in the waving of its tail. The pipits are all 

 fairly alike in the manner of delivering their songs, 

 and the transition from them to the larks is a very 

 slight one. The final song-note of the tree -pipit 

 in spring is closely like the final note of the sky- 

 lark, and which, in the last species, resembles the 

 call-note of the young. There are larks in America, 

 Europe, and Africa which utter similar kinds of songs. 

 The young cirl-bunting has a call like a pipit. The 

 snow-bunting sings like a pipit, and the plumage of 

 this species is somewhat like that of the shore-lark. 

 Several continental buntings sing like those of 

 Britain. The rice-bunting of America utters a chink 

 as it flies ; the snow-bunting has a tinkling note ; and 



