272 BULLETIN 196, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



to — but it doesn't. In an experience of some thirty-nine years, the 

 author has never heard from the Western Bluebird's beak an utter- 

 ance which deserves the name of song, or anything more musical than 

 the threefold miu." Ralph Hoffmann (1927) writes: "In the breed- 

 ing season the male utters a low chu, chu, chu, apparently his only 

 song, but before dawn a camper among the pines hears a chorus of 

 the rich call notes repeated from all sides as if from birds flying about 

 in the darkness." And Grinnell and Storer (1924) say that the 

 "song is a very simple affair, just the common call notes uttered over 

 and over again with monotonous persistence." 



Winton Weydemeyer (1934), however, gives this bluebird credit 

 for more musical ability, and contributes the following account of the 

 singing of a bird near his house at Fortine, Mont.: 



The first attempt at singing was noted at 4:40 a. m. (in full darkness) on April 

 19. For several minutes without pause one of the birds from a perch rendered an 

 endless song consisting of the common call note, few, repeated over and over, 

 regularly but with varying inflection. On succeeding mornings the notes grad- 

 ually became more varied. The following description was jotted down on the 

 morning of April 26: "Bluebird from perch began singing at 4:35 (quite dark), 

 sang for about 40 minutes. Sang without pause for about fifteen minutes first; 

 later snatches of song successively shorter, intervening pauses longer. Song a 

 succession of call notes (3 different phrases); notes same as given separately in 

 daytime, but connected in a series to form a typical 'song.' Song louder and more 

 energetic than that of the Mountain Bluebird, just as the call notes are louder 

 and more vigorous. Tempo much like that of Robin's song. F-flw, f-fiw, f-fSw 

 f-f£w, eh-eh, f£w, f-fkw, eh-eh, f£w, eh-eh, fSw, f-f6w . . . The eh-eh is a common 

 phrase given with the call note few (or tew) during the day. It resembles the 

 short catch notes of Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Cassin Vireo." 



Three days later, on April 29, I awoke in the darkness at 4:20 a. m. to find a 

 bluebird already singing. I wrote down his song thus: "Ic-ic U, Uw, ic-ic, Uw, 

 ic-ic towie, lowie (often two-Ue, two-lie — more musical), ic-ic, Uw, ic-ic twoie, 

 towie . . ." These songs, with minor variations, were given throughout the 

 season. * * * 



The singing of these birds resembled the usual song of the Western Robin even 

 more closely than does the song of the Mountain Bluebird as observed in this 

 locality. In the darkness I often found it difficult to tell whether a song was 

 given by a Western Bluebird a few hundred feet away or by a Western Robin at a 

 greater distance. To me the Western Bluebird's singing, from a musical stand- 

 point, is less enjoyable than that of its quieter relative, the song of the Mountain 

 Bluebird being softer, more subdued, and more pleasingly modulated. 



During the early part of the season, in April, while the Western Bluebirds were 

 pairing and selecting houses, the males during the day frequently gave a double 

 note that was not heard later in the season. This was a musical -pa-wie, much 

 resembling a goldfinch's call. This was also coupled with the common call note 

 to form a series of phrases which perhaps constituted a "mating song"; Pa-wie, 

 few few. Few few fa-wke. Fa-wte. Few few fa-wie. Pa-ne'e. Pa-wie, few, 

 few . . . Another phrase sometimes given at this season I noted as elherick t6e, 

 the first double note resembling a common phrase of the Western Robin's song. 



