Andersen. — New Zealand Bird-song . 291 



sang whilst a gale of wind, swayed the branches of the karaka in which 

 he sat. The theme was varied by varying the position of the parts, as 

 (c) (c) (a) (b) (c) (c) (c) (6) (c) (a) (c) (b), &c. The tempo was about eight 

 semiquavers a second. The short phrase (97) was sung in the evening, 

 softly, like the whisper-song. The first notes were vocalized sweet; the 

 others were clear whistles, with a sound of tee-ee tee-ee, and resembled the 

 fantail's whistling song. A violin-string might reproduce the tone if it 

 could be muted sufficiently. 



I was out several limes to hear the morning chorus, which would begin 

 at about 3 o'clock, whilst still quite dark, with the common call, repeated 

 at intervals independently by two or more birds. After ten minutes or so 

 a bird would begin the beating theme of (98), varied as in (98, b). In the 

 latter the place of the rest was at times taken by a note, making the beat- 

 ing continuous. Others joined in, the sound being half bell, half flute ; 

 and though several birds sang, as could be heard owing to different birds 

 dropping to E at different times, and also varying to B at different times, 

 the result was quite harmonious. The common call continued to be uttered 

 at intervals. 



The harmony was fuller on the 2nd January, 1917, when the call was 

 (92a) and (92b). The call sounded (a) (a), pause ; (a) (a) (b), pause ; 

 (a) (b), pause ; (b) never opening a call. When other birds joined in, 

 the theme (98) began, but the notes were G, D. There were at least two 

 birds singing the notes, as the D was at times accompanied by a tiu ; and, 

 whilst the notes of G were usually sounded together, at times there was 

 an interval between as though one bird lagged a little. At the same time 

 another bird sang C, in a thinner tone, more than an octave above the 

 rich bell tones of the others. The effect was as in (99). The top singer 

 was occasionally slightly out of time also.- The theme was, on the 4th, 

 varied as in (100). This was very beautiful, though apparently two birds 

 only were singing, a third making a sort of bass accompaniment with an 

 occasionally interjected tiu tiu. The fact that the higher singer was more 

 than an octave above the lower was especially noticeable when the C was 

 touched by both birds. Whilst a great number of birds may be singing at 

 the one time, they would appear to segregate into small parties or choirs of 

 from three to five, the song of each choir being in time and tune, whilst not 

 always harmonizing with the others. With the whole bush full of singing 

 birds, any segregation there may be would be lost. At dawn the small 

 birds joined in the chorus : I heard whiteheads and fantails, whilst out 

 above the flats sang an English skylark. Their songs did not harmonize 

 with the rich notes of the larger birds, but the wild chorus resulting was 

 most pleasing. It was impossible to say if the singers were tuis or bell- 

 birds, or both ; but the choruses are noted in this place as they began with 

 tui calls, and the calls continued to be heard, at least for a time, during 

 the singing of the chorus. One of the birds taking part, a tui, was seen 

 in a karaka, though his attention seemed more devoted to the ripening- 

 berries than to the chorus. In (101) there were four or five birds singing, 

 small birds again joining in towards the close. The parts of the principal 

 singers, parts 1 and 2, were very regular and long-continued : 1 began, 

 and, after a minute or two, 2 joined in, and these two continued for a 

 quarter of an hour or more. A few minutes after 2 had joined 1, 3 joined 

 in, singing irregularly and intermittently ; still later and more intermittent 

 was 4, almost a whisper-song. The call, as in 5, sounded occasionally. 

 The chorus was, for the most part, quite harmonious and in perfect time : 



10* 



