THE SIMPLEST SONGS 51 



the latter stage the pace is accelerated towards 

 the close. The hedge-sparrow repeats his squeak, 

 then two or three very rapid notes at a lower 

 pitch, then his squeak again ; and by repeating 

 this performance more than once, he produces a 

 song which embodies several repetitions of his 

 common call-squeak. These repeated squeaks are 

 uttered at the same pitch, and often the phrase is 

 concluded with one of them. A similar method of 

 singing is constantly exhibited by the brown wren, 

 and sometimes even by the robin. The pied 

 wagtail at first departs but little from a mere 

 repetition of his call ; but later in the spring he 

 manages to construct a sort of jumbled song, in 

 which, however, his habitual notes still predominate. 

 Thus also the cushat gradually elaborates his song 

 or coo ; the stock - dove never exceeds the bare 

 repetition of a short, jerky coo ; and the domestic 

 cockerel repeats a succession of alarm-yells when 

 first he attains the power to essay a crow. The 

 yellow bunting repeats a note which he often 

 utters — it may be suggested by either jip or jink 

 — and by means of such repetitions he produces 

 the first part of that song which country folk have 

 likened to the words, A little bit of bread and 

 no cheese. The willow - warbler repeats his alarm 



