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The 'Whisper' Songs of Birds 



A note by Mr. J. William Lloyd, on 

 'The Whisper Song of the Catbird,' 

 published in Bird-Lore for December, 

 1914 (Vol. XVI, p. 446), has brought from 

 our readers a number of observations on 

 this type of singing, which we publish 

 below. As these notes indicate, whisper 

 singing is not confined to certain individ- 

 uals or certain species, but is an expression 

 of a physiological condition. 



In the fall, song is not inspired b}' the 

 ardor of the mating season, and it is 

 exceptional to hear the full-voiced utter- 

 ance of spring. In the spring the full de- 

 velopment of a bird's song may be reached 

 gradually. It doubtless keeps pace with 

 the physiological development of the bird, 

 and it is also controlled by temperature. 



Writing these lines on February 27, at 

 Ormond Beach, Florida, I have been 

 interested to observe here the close rela- 

 tion between temperature and the singing 

 of the Mockingbird. This bird began to 

 sing a 'song' whisper the first week of the 

 month. Since that date, the character of 

 the songs heard is closely dependent on 

 the temperature. With the mercury 

 registering from 46° to 50° at 7.30 a.m., 

 only whisper songs from the shelter of the 

 undergrowth are heard. It is not until 

 the thermometer reads 60° that one hears 

 the full-voiced, musical medley of this 

 famous songster. — F. M. C. 



It was with the deepest interest that I 

 read T. William Lloyd's account of the 

 'whisper song' of the Catbird, as I had a 

 similar experience in September, 1914. 



In one of the localities where I am 

 accustomed to hunt for birds, there is a 

 tangle of alders and vines, which is a 

 favorite haunt of Catbirds during the 

 summer months, and in which they nesl. 



On September 16, I saw some of those 

 birds perched on the top of an alder, and 

 on the next day, as I was passing the 



(i 



thicket, my attention was arrested by 

 hearing a Catbird singing in the way that 

 Mr. Lloj^d so clearly describes, with the 

 exception that I heard no mewing sounds. 

 Apparently, the bird was singing for his 

 own entertainment, as his song continued 

 for some moments; there was as great a 

 variety of notes as in the louder song, but 

 never before did I listen to a melody so soft 

 and sweet. It was a most delightful 

 performance and gave me great pleasure. 



Two days later I heard the fluting of the 

 bird in the same place, but the song was of 

 briefer duration. 



On both occasions the singer was very 

 near, but was invisible, although I peered 

 into the thick leafage in hopes to obtain a 

 glimpse of him. — Sara Chandler East- 

 man, Portland, Maine. 



In answer to Mr. Lloyd's query in 

 Bird-Lore on 'Whisper Songs,' I might 

 give my experience. Some time ago we 

 received from a bird fancier a Central 

 American species of Planesticus. The bird 

 had been in captivity for some two or 

 three years. We kept him in a fair-sized 

 cage for some four months before he died 

 from brief exposure or draft from an 

 open door during the winter. He sang 

 during the day much like P. migralorius, 

 but so low that one would have to be 

 within a few feet from him to get the 

 benefit of the song. The bird's attitude 

 was crouched low on a perch, feathers very 

 slightly fluffed out, bill slightly raised, 

 neck drawn in, and eyes not wide awake. 

 He was always aware of what was going 

 on about him during his singing. The 

 family said he was singing in his sleep. 

 One person suggested that he was dream- 

 ing of his southern home. Thus the pose 

 was characteristic of the song. , I don't 

 remember ever hearing him sing full- 

 voiced. — .\rthur Jacot, Monroe, Conn. 



In the November and December Bird- 

 Lore, page 446, J. W. Lloyd asks for obser- 



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