Andersen. — New Zealand Bird-song. 



289 



chord in the bird-world : it was sung several times, the value of two 

 crotchets in a second. In (93f) occur the notes of an ordinary majo r 

 chord; this, and (93e), were sung in the afternoon of the 3rd January. 

 (93g) was in subdued, mellow, bell tones, the value of 3-4 crotchets a 

 second. More sound may have followed, but no more was heard, and the 

 bird was unseen. It is often impossible to say whether the notes of an 

 unseen bird are sung by a tui or a bell-bird, they have so many in common ; 

 but the bell-bird's notes are chiefly characterized by their rapid speed of 

 utterance, corresponding with the restless movements of the bird. On 

 hearing the notes (93g) 1 unconsciously expected a fourth note, a D— 

 and I suddenly became conscious that the first four notes were those of the 



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zm 



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/■srr ferr/r/au / kiau / 



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s 



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t-t 



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£ 





2tf f= 



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B-* 



jyyeesetoo 



^^ 



jeeseejeeeoi 



opening of " Scenes that are Brightest. '" This led me to hark back in 

 memory to see if I could recollect other bird-phrases that recalled human 

 melodies, but only one came to mind, a phrase by a bell-bird — B flat. 

 B flat, E flat, G, B flat. E flat, B flat, G— which, with the addition of 

 E flat, F, is the second line of " Mill May " : " The bob-o'-link sings on the 

 tree." So far from its being remarkable that bird-phrases should some- 

 times be the same as human melodies, it is to me remarkable that they 

 are not more often the same. 



10— Trans 



