WRY BIRDS SING. 545 



to the persuasions of th'^ male, control their young, and otherwise ex- 

 press themselves, require a vocal apparatus similar to that of the male, 

 which shall not be stunted by non-use. Instead of regarding, as Dar- 

 win did, the singing organs of female birds as an instance of the par- 

 tial but useless transmission of secondary male characteristics to the 

 female, I think we might now plausibly consider it a transmission in 

 undiminished perfection of a faculty generally characteristic of both, 

 but which is most freely exercised in the male on account of its rela- 

 tion to the most important act of his life, and hence to the maintenance 

 of the species. 



Singing out of rivalry finds an explanation in the disposition of the 

 exultant songster to show himself off and to surpass others. If this 

 exultant feeling is wanting, as, for instance, when it is depressed by 

 some uncomfortable condition, the emulative singing stops. Hence, 

 freshly-caught birds are songless in the cage, as are also males when 

 several of them are confined together. In these cases the birds are 

 pining for their lost freedom, or are suffering from the feeling of 

 being crowded or hampered in their movements. 



Domesticated birds sing also from a kind of gratitude to please 

 their master, after they have discovered that he likes their songs, and 

 the act produces in return a wholesome effect upon them. Under 

 such influences, they sing all through the year, and more than they 

 would do in freedom. I have had the opportunity of making a remark- 

 able observation which shows that singing-birds desire the notice and 

 applause of their attendant, and are affected by them. I had a yellow 

 thrush {Tardus saxatilis), taken from the nest, which had become quite 

 tame and confiding. Its cage hung behind the window-curtain of my 

 study, and this adjoined my bedroom. I sometimes heard early in the 

 morning a clear, melodious cock-crowing that seemed to come from a 

 distant barn-yard. I thought of everything to which I might attribute 

 it except my bird, which had never indulged in anything but the sim- 

 plest song when I was present ; but I soon found out his trick. Hav- 

 ing risen early one morning and gone into the study while the bird's 

 head was still hidden under his wing, I sat still in a farther corner of 

 the room till matters began to get lively in the cage. Unobserved by 

 my pet, I could see him through the folds of the curtain stretch out 

 his wings and one foot, and plume himself. Then he found his voice 

 and sounded out the cock-crow which I had heard so often from my 

 bedroom without suspecting its real origin. Had I not seen the bird's 

 mouth open and his throat vibrating, I should still have thought the 

 sound came from a distance. Suddenly I stepped behind the curtain, 

 when the bird, perceiving me, broke off at once in the midst of his 

 crowing — a thing he had never done when I appeared as a witness to 

 his ordinary singing — and fluttered timorously around as if he had 

 done something wrong. I went out from the room and waited near, 

 but the bird did not crow any more, nor again for two days afterward. 



TOL. XXTI. — 35 



