APPENDIX. 66 1 



To chirp, is the firft found which a young bird 

 utters, as a cry for food, and is different in all 

 neftlings, if accurately attended to ; fo that the hear- 

 er may diftinguifh of what fpecies the birds are, 

 though the neft may hang out of his fight and reach. 



This cry is, as might be expected, very weak 

 and querulous ; it is dropped entirely as the bird 

 grows ftronger, nor is afterwards intermixed with 

 its fong, the chirp of a nightingale (for example) 

 being hoarfe and difagreeable. 



To this definition of the chirp, I muft add, that 

 it confifts of a fingle found, repeated at very fhort 

 intervals, and that it is common to neftlings of 

 both kxQs. 



The call of a bird, is that found which it is able 

 to make, when about a month old -, it is, in mod 

 inftances (which I happen to recollect) a repeti- 

 tion of one and the fame note, is retained by the 

 bird as long as it lives, and is common, generally,, 

 to both the cock and hen *. 



The next ftage in the notes of a bird is term- 

 ed, by the bird-catchers, recording, which word is 



* For want of terms to diftinguifh the notes of birds, Bel- 

 Ion applies the verb cbantent, or fing, to the goofe and crane, 

 as well as the nightingale. u Plufieurs oifeaux chant ent la 

 fluit, comme eft Poye, la giue, & le rofiignol. " Beflon's 

 Hill, of Birds, p. 5©. 



X x z probably 



