BIRD MUSIC 15 



Identification by song. Bird songs are of interest to 

 mankind for two reasons: as a means of identifying 

 the singer and as a source of pleasure on account of 

 the musical harmonies produced, just as one enjoys 

 human music. When the leaves on the trees have 

 developed in the late springtime, it is often difficult to 

 see the birds which may be behind the foliage. But 

 if one know^s the song of the bird, he can identify it 

 w^ithout seeing it. It is a source of much pleasure to 

 be able to recognize the voices of one's bird friends 

 as he walks past their haunts. 



Music of bird songs. But the feature about bird 

 songs that appeals most strongly to one is their har- 

 mony, that reaches the musical sense which every one 

 possesses in some degree. As one may plan to attend 

 a concert to hear some of the fine musical produc- 

 tions of the human voice, so one may plan to attend 

 the morning or evening chorus of the birds to hear 

 some of the fine musical productions of the bird's 

 voice. Each kind of music has its accompaniment. 

 The human voice is usually accompanied by some 

 instrument, which adds to the charm of the voice. 

 The accompaniment of bird music is the natural sur- 

 roundings in which it is rendered, the things that we 

 associate with it. A beautiful sunset may be the 

 accompaniment of the song of the vesper sparrow, 

 a quiet wood on a hill-slope that of the hermit 

 thrush, and a little tree-bordered brook that of the 

 kinglet. These natural accompaniments are closely 



