196 Our Bird Friends. 



found that a young Robin brouglit up within hear- 

 ing of the song of a Nightingale had a melody 

 consisting of three-quarters of that of Philomel 

 and a quarter belonging to its own species. 



Even the despised and unnuisical House Sparrow 

 has been known to sing like both the Canary and the 

 Skylark Avhen brought up in captivity among such 

 birds. Now and again one may be met with even 

 in the streets of a large town practising some strange 

 borrowed note. Only last winter, whilst spending a 

 few days in Edinbuigli. I licard a bird <>t" this 

 species making use of a strange note that I sliould 

 never have l)olieved could proceed from the thrc^at 

 of an old Cock Sparrow had I not identified the 

 bird in the roof-iron of the Haymarkct Hallway 

 Station. 



I have heard the male Red-Backed Shrike try 

 to sing to his lady love, but it was the poorest 

 bit of creaking out of nrttcs borrowed from birds 

 of the neighbourhood that could be imagined. 

 It has been said that his near relative, the (4reat 

 Grey Shrike, acquires the notes of other l)irds in 

 order to draw them within his range of attack. 



One Avould hardly expect the male bird of a 

 species to sing whilst sitting on the nest and doing 

 his share of the duties of brooding, yet such conduct 

 is ascribed to both the Song Thrush and the Black- 

 cap Warbler. The latter is a powerful and beautiiid 

 singer, whose notes I have many times had the 

 pleasure of listening to in Surrey orchards and 



