468 BULLETIN 203, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



10 days or 2 weeks after the bird's arrival in the spring, it continues 

 through the nesting season, and it normally ceases by the time the 

 ordinary or territory song is no longer heard, although occasionally 

 it has been heard long after the nesting season. 



Aretas A. Saunders states : "The flight song is much more variable 

 than the territory song. It is longer, has a greater range in pitch, is 

 sweeter and more musical in quality, and is heard more commonly 

 later in the season. It is often heard in the dusk of evening and I 

 have heard it on a dark night at about 2 a. m. 



"I have 15 records of this song. In pitch they range from F 

 sharp '" to ^"" . Individual songs have a range from two and one- 

 half to five tones, averaging about three. They occupy from 2-% to 

 4% seconds. 



"One can say very little about the form of this song, it varies so 

 greatly. Warbles, 2- and 3-note phrases, slurs, single notes, and 

 twitters are mixed together in various ways. The pitch rises or falls 

 with no regularity. All but 3 of my records have a pause in the 

 middle of the song, 1 record has two such pauses ; and 11 contain a few 

 repeated 2-note phrases, like a portion of the territory song, but 4 

 have no such phrases. 



"The bird sings this song in horizontal flight, often above the tops 

 of the forest trees, but sometimes flying through the trees, only 15 

 or 20 feet above the ground. When a song over the treetop is finished 

 the bird turns about, drops lower and flies back to the starting point 

 through the trees." 



The flight song is so truly remarkable that it seems well worth while 

 to present the interpretations of other observers : E. P. Bicknell (1884) 

 writes: "On occasions, as if sudden emotion carried it beyond the 

 restrictions that ordinarily beset its expression, it bursts forth with a 

 wild outpouring of intricate and melodious song, proving itself the 

 superior vocalist of the trio of pseudo-Thrushes of which it is so un- 

 assuming a member. This song is produced on the wing, oftenest 

 when the spell of evening is coming over the woods. Sometimes it 

 may be heard as an outburst of vesper melody carried above the 

 foliage of the shadowy forest and descending and dying away with 

 the waning twilight." 



Lynds Jones (1900) has called this song of the ovenbird the passion 

 song, which he defines : "It is an outburst of melody of such richness 

 and fullness, such thrilling ecstasy, that the signer is lifted into the air \ 

 on quivering wings to pour out his melody without a pause until the ' 

 inspiration has passed. * * * j have seen the ovenbird suddenly 

 vault into the air, mounting to the tree tops on quivering wings, then 

 dart back and forth in a zigzag course swift as an arrow, and finally 

 burst into song as he floated gently down. * * * Sometimes the ^ 

 ovenbird closes his passion song with a burst of the perfect call (terri- i 

 tory) song." 



