CHAPTER XIV 



BIRD MUSIC 



Modern indifference to delicate music — Charm due to past asso- 

 ciations — A willow-wren at Harrogate — Intrinsic charm of 

 some bird voices — Effect of special circumstances — A rain- 

 washed world — Exceptional songs of chaffinch and whinchat 

 — A wonderful blackbird. 



TO those who delight in bird music it appears 

 strange that there should be many persons 

 who are quite indifferent to it, who will hear 

 you speak of its charm or beauty with impatience 

 and perhaps incredulity. It is probable that in many 

 cases the indifference is the result of a town life and 

 the dulling effect on the sense of hearing of an atmo- 

 sphere of loud jarring noises, also of the loudness 

 of the instrumental music to which they are accus- 

 tomed. Our civilisation is a noisy one, and as it 

 increases in noisiness the smaller, more delicate 

 musical instruments which must be heard in a quiet 

 atmosphere lose their ancient charm and finally 

 become obsolete. The tendency is towards louder 

 instruments and masses of sound; the piano is a 

 universal favourite, and the more thunder you get 

 out of it the better it is liked. 



In this as in other things our gain is our loss; if 

 in human music the sweetest, most delicate instru- 

 mental sounds cease to please, or even to be tolerable, 



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