BIRD MUSIC 



19 



Mr. Oldys gives the following song of the wood 

 thrush as illustrating this rule of the human ballad : — 



WOOD THKUSH 



A second similarity between bird and human music 

 is found in the fact that these two kinds of music 

 have been developing along similar lines. Bird 

 music to-day is very similar to human music in its 

 earliest stages, and similar to the music of some prim- 

 itive people to-day, and may even be superior to it. 



Bird duets. A third similarity is shown in the 

 fact that birds possess a musical taste and show ap- 

 preciation of musical tones. Mr. Oldys cites cases 

 where birds sing duets, one immediately following 

 the other, where the second bird sings a theme which 

 naturally follows and completes the theme of the 

 first bird. The birds have been known to repeat 

 these several times, each waiting till the other fin- 

 ishes. In some cases where two birds were singing 

 unrelated themes, one bird has been known to 

 change its theme so as to make it harmonize with the 

 other's notes. This antiphonal form of singing has 



