EASTERN RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET 407 



of its own species. It is probably some community of interest or some 

 similarity in foraging ground, rather than any special attachment for 

 each other or desire for company, that brings together these loose 

 associations of very different birds. There is no apparent flocking 

 instinct among them; each species, and in fact each individual, acts 

 independently in pursuit of its special line of activity. This kinglet 

 is also a tame and unsuspicious little bird, not easily frightened and 

 easily approached. 



W. E. Clyde Todd (1940) calls attention to certain differences in 

 the behavior of our two kinglets: "The Ruby-crown is by all odds the 

 more active, nervous, and irascible of the two, as it is also the more 

 musical. It does not manifest the same partiality for conifers, and it 

 also tends to keep nearer the ground. It has a characteristic way of 

 flirting its wings with a sudden jerking motion; otherwise its actions 

 while exploring the trees and bushes for its minute insect food are 

 warbler-like." 



Voice. — For its remarkable song the ruby-crowned kinglet is justly 

 famous. Those who have not heard it in its full richness on the 

 breeding grounds cannot appreciate it, for we seldom hear the full song 

 on migration even in spring. The remarkable part of the song is the 

 great volume of sound that issues from the tiny throat in the latter 

 part of the performance, much greater than would seem possible from 

 such a small bird. Much has been written in praise of it. Bradford 

 Torrey (1885) says: "The song is marvelous, — a prolonged and varied 

 warble, introduced and often broken into, with delightful effect, by a 

 wrennish chatter. For fluency, smoothness, and ease, and especially 

 for purity and sweetness of tone, I have never heard any bird-song 

 that seemed to me more nearly perfect." 



Aretas A. Saunders has sent me the following description of the 

 song: "The song of the ruby-crowned kinglet is of three distinct 

 parts. It begins with four to eight high-pitched, rather squeaky notes. 

 This is followed by a rapid chatter of five to ten notes, often a full 

 octave lower than the first notes, and usually rising slightly in pitch. 

 The third part is loudest and most musical. It consists of a 3- or 

 4-note phrase repeated two to seven (commonly three or four) times. 

 In this phrase the last note is highest, loudest, and strongly accented. 

 The whole song then is like eee-tee-tee-tee-too-too-tu-tu-ti-ta-tidaweet- 

 tidaweet-tidaweet. 



"1 have 22 records of this song. In 16 of them the drop between the 

 first and second parts is exactly one octave. Most of the songs begin 

 on C " ", but some on B " ' or C# " ". The complete range in 

 pitch is from C# ' ' ' ' to B ' ', one tone more than an octave. 



