THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



NATURAL HISTORY* 



JUNE, 1836. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Observations on the Singing of Birds, in Reply to the 

 Question, Why do Birds sing? (VII. 484—486.) By Mr. W. H. 

 White. 



" Tell me not of the birds in a tropical clime, 

 Whose splendour and beauty our own far outshine; 

 Though in plumage of silver and gold they be drest, 

 Yet my own little songsters I e'er shall love best." 



The return of spring, the bleating of the sheep, the skip- 

 ping of the lambs, the whistle of the shepherd, the carols of 

 the feathered songsters, have forcibly reminded me of Mr. Con- 

 way's question, "Why do birds sing?" (VII. 484 — 486.) 

 As the singing of birds, both in the cage and in a state of 

 freedom, has always been a source of great delight to me, I 

 will venture to offer a few remarks on Mr. Conway's question, 

 which, I agree with him, is a " question of some difficulty : " 

 still it is a question of peculiar interest to every lover of na- 

 ture ; and, although I should greatly prefer reading the 

 opinions of some one much better qualified than I am to do 

 ample justice to the subject (and I know of no one more 

 capable than Mr. Waterton, as alluded to by S. D. W. in 

 IX. 207.), yet I should consider myself deficient in com- 

 mon etiquette, were I to withhold any ideas, how humble 

 soever they may be, from a fellow-enquirer, if I thought that 

 those ideas were in any degree calculated to throw any addi- 

 tional light upon the subject of enquiry. If, after all, I shall 

 fail, like those who have previously given their opinions on 

 this subject, to give a satisfactory solution to the question, I 

 shall not consider the attempt altogether useless, if it stimu- 

 late others to follow up the enquiry till a complete answer 

 be obtained, and that, too, upon such rational principles as 

 shall stand the test of succeeding generations. 



The following observations upon the exciting cause of song 

 Vol. IX. — No. 62. y 



