April, 1903.] 



The Song oj the Fox Sparrow. 



411 



THE SONG OF THE FOX SPARROW. 



Theodore Clarke Smith. 



The study of the song of the fox sparrow is a highly tantaliz- 

 ing pursuit owing to the bird's brief stay, provoking habits of 

 silence and reluctance to sing in full voice. In three years, tak- 

 ing into account the fall as well as the spring migrations, I have 

 heard them sing scarcely a dozen times, although I have never 

 failed to see them in considerable numbers. Nevertheless, the 

 impression produced by these few occasions is such as to place the 

 fox sparrow among the first vocalists of his family. 



The song form commonly heard may be represented by the 

 following : 



i^tra. CAM 



i^ 1 \ 



7^ uee6^ 



This notation is not ventured with any assurance of perfection 

 for the song is so rapid, so syncopated in its tempo and the tone 

 so sliding and lacking in precision that its reproduction is attended 

 with great difficulties. The matter of pitch presents an insoluble 

 problem. The fox sparrow's pitch is entirely free ; he does not 

 sing in the conventional human scale but emploj-s intervals of 

 other dimensions than our whole and half tones, which can not 

 be represented on our musical staff. In trying to reproduce the 

 song there has to be continual slight adjustment and rectification, 

 so that the result is at best only an approximation to the real 

 sounds, more regular and mechanical, less bird-like. 



Under these considerable limitations the notes above given ma}^ 

 be taken to suggest the song form of the fox sparrow, a theme 

 from which different birds vary a good deal without however 

 departing from the general scheme. The accented high notes in 

 the fourth bar (A) seem to be the musical kernel of the song, for 

 they remain substantially unaltered with different individuals 

 however much the introductory or concluding bars may diverge. 



