Andersen. — New Zealand Bird-song. 



523 



in the grey dawn before the thrushes started their song. The notes, occupy- 

 ing about three seconds, were very musical, clear, and flute-like, inclining 

 to a bell-sound. On the 8th at twilight, when almost dark, the notes of (88) 

 were repeated : time occupied by the phrase, one second. On the 9th (89) 

 and (89a) were noted. The sound vocalized tiu was on G, but being uttered, 

 apparently, with a wider aperture than the accompanying flute-notes, the 

 sound differed in quality : the final G, though of the same pitch, was per- 

 fectly flute-like. Besides the tiu there were other little breaks or catches 

 heard when the bird was near at hand, the high notes of the bubbling song, 

 sounding very softly, appearing to escape amongst the others. The song 

 was not, therefore, clear and sharp unless heard at some distance, when 

 the intruding notes were lost ; and when yet greater distance subdued 

 the tiu also, (89) sounded simply as D, C flat, G, C flat, G. .Time taken, 

 little over a second. 



On the 17th, two tuis began their song at a -quarter to 4 in the morning, 

 when grey, but too dark to read print. The thrushes, and other English 

 birds, began at 4, and all, tuis, thrushes, &c, stopped at half past 4. The 

 first tui to begin sang (90), repeating it over and over with but slight pause 

 between the repetitions, the phrase taking about a second. Another tui 

 broke in now and again with the variant (90a), but with notes of quite a 



8*4 ■ 



Hi 



g> ■ P 



(**)\ + 



(83) \ 



$\>-ct 





J Tilt t'U J //</ . J t-i'u fiu *'<■ 



2 8* 



<">& 



ll^ 



P 



/■iu t'u 



different quality from (90), being hoarse, almost unmusical. Later the 

 second bird, judging from the direction of the sound, changed to (91). 

 The rrrr had no musical quality, but was merely a vibrating sound exactly 

 imitated, except in intensity, by vibrating the uvula without emission 

 of breath. One, sometimes two or more, bubbling notes followed the 

 rrrr, then a bell-note, and lastly two half-vocalized bell-notes. The bub- 

 bling notes were barely audible when audible at all, and I surmised, by the 

 pause that often occurred between the rrrr and the C, that many times 

 the notes were inaudible to me where I lay in my tent. 



Referring to the note in Transactions of 1914, vol. 47, p. 598, regarding 

 tuis singing in harmony, Mr. C. Howard Tripp has forwarded further letters 

 on the subject, extracts from which follow : — 



Mr. B. M. Moorhouse, Timaru, writes : " I have several times heard 

 the ' morning chorus,' principally in Peel Forest, twenty or thirty years 

 ago, and have often been struck by the immense volume of sound, and not a 

 discordant note that I could distinguish. I am not an authority on musical 

 matters, but believe I could distinguish an harmonious combination from 

 a medley of musical sounds, and the music I have heard was always such 

 as to make one leave off any work or occupation to listen and be enthralled. 

 I have only, so far as I can remember, heard it at sunrise, and then only 

 for a short time. You mention tuis only, but it was my impression that 



