TUFTED TITMOUSE. 239 



note like that of the Cat-bird, and in part like the sound 

 made by putting the lower lip to the upper teeth, and cal- 

 ling 'tsh'vah, 'tsh'vah. After this the call oi kcrry-herry' 

 kerry-kerry struck up with an echoing sound, heightened 

 by the hollow bank of the river whence it proceeded. 

 At length, more delicately than at first, in an under tone, 

 you hear anew, and in a tender accent, ^e^o^cifo^^e^o. In 

 the caprice and humor of our performer, tied by no rules 

 but those of momentary feeling, the expression will per- 

 haps change into a slow and full peet-peet-a-pcct-a-pect , 

 then a low and very rapid ker-ker-kcr-ker-lcer-kcrry, some- 

 times so quick as almost to resemble the rattle of a watch- 

 man. At another time, his morning song commences 

 like the gentle whispers of an aerial spirit, and then be- 

 coming high and clear like the voice of the nightingale, 

 he cries keeva keeva kceva kecva, but soon falling into the 

 querulous, the day-day-day-day-day-dait of the Chica- 

 dee, terminates his performance. Imitative, as well as 

 inventive, I have heard the Peto also sing something like 

 the lively chatter of the Swallow, leta-leta-leta-lctalit , and 

 then vary into peto-peto-peto-peto-peto extremely quick. 

 Unlike the warblers, our cheerful Peto has no trill, or any 

 other notes than these simple, playful, or pathetic calls ; 

 yet the compass of voice and the tone in which they are 

 uttered, their capricious variety and their general effect, 

 at the season of the year when they are heard, are quite as 

 pleasing, to the contemplative observer, as the more ex- 

 quisite notes of the summer songsters of the verdant 

 forest. 



The sound of hvhip-tom-kelly , which I so distinctly 

 heard this bird utter, on the 1 7th of January, 1830, 

 near Barnwell, in South Carolina, is very remarkable, 

 and leads me to suppose that this species is also an in- 

 habitant of the West India islands, where Sloane attri- 



