i86 



SUMMER 



nest-side song which is very little like the spring song ; and 

 the golden-crested wren sings songs which are only recog- 

 nisable as his because of the tone. The sequence of notes 

 has no set pattern at all. Perhaps in marking all the minor 

 songs and calls of birds it is the quality of the voice, if one 

 may say so, that makes recognition less difficult. The sibilant 

 goldcrest, the soprano robin, the rough whitethroat, the 

 hoarse corn-bunting, the liquid wagtail, the squeaky tits — 

 have all a sort of voice that is recognisable, as well as a sort 

 of song. Even when birds mimic to perfection, as the 

 starling mimics the thrush, the quality of voice bewrays them. 

 This quality abides even when the song is sweet and the 

 chirp harsh. Larks and pipits, for example, have calls that 

 are perhaps harsher than any song-bird's. They sound more 

 akin to the jackdaw than the thrush ; but it is still a lark's 

 note, only it needs wide skies and a place in continuous 

 sequence before it can achieve its charm. 



