486 Imitative Powers of the Sedge Bird, 



To this I have only to reply, it is the usual and general note, 

 and certainly a source of considerable pleasure to the rambler 

 over our mountains, where they abound. But we must, I am 

 fearful, conclude where we began : Why do birds sing ? 

 Pontnensyydd Works, near Newport, 

 Monmouthshire^ Jan, 20. 1834, 



Art. III. A Notice of the Imitative Potvers of the British Mocking' 

 Birdt or Sedge Bird [Salvia [Cwrrwca] salichria)^ additional to 

 that in V. 653, 6B^. By T. G., of Clitheroe, Lancashire. 



I AM surprised that not any other correspondent has noticed 

 the wonderful imitative powers of this bird. So far is my 

 notice in V. 65S, 654. (in that notice, " pelting notes," in 

 p. 65S, line 8. from the bottom, is a misprint for " fretting 

 notes") from overrating this bird's imitative powers, that I 

 have not enumerated above half the notes which it hits off 

 with such wonderful exactness. 



In listening to one the other day for about a quarter of an 

 hour, I heard it give three notes of the swallow, two of the 

 martin, two of the spring wagtail ; and, in addition, notes of 

 the sparrow, whinchat, starling, chaffinch, whitethroat, green- 

 finch, little redpole, and whin linnet (jPringilla Linota) ; be- 

 sides the notes of half a dozen birds which I did not know; 

 at least a reasoning from analogy would induce me to think 

 them imitations, and I have no right lo suppose that they 

 were not, because I did not happen to recognise them. I was 

 not strictly correct when I said (in V. 653.) that it only imi- 

 tates the alarm notes (called here the fretting notes) of other 

 birds ; for, although this is generally the case, it is not invari- 

 ably so. For instance, in addition to producing the alarm 

 note of the swallow, chiz-zee chiz-zee, it also had the whit whit 

 which the swallow uses when flying about, and the chatter of 

 self-satisfaction (not the song) which one often hears in a barn 

 when two swallows are arranging their plan of operations in 

 the spring. Again, in addition to the shriek of the martin, 

 there was the note which it utters when on the wing, in pur- 

 suit of its food. There was also the chirrup of the green- 

 finch, and the whee whee whee which is the climax of the 

 linnet's song, by which it is so irresistible as a call bird, and 

 which appears to bring down the flock, in fact, in spite of 

 themselves. 



Although the sedge bird imitated all I have mentioned, it 

 made much more frequent use of the notes of some than of 

 others : the sparrow, the whinchat, the swallow, and the star- 



