on the Silver-cared Mcsia.



381



notes, though remarkably loud and clear, are not to be compared

with the Pekin Robin’s. One male I had always seemed to me

to say, or rather shout, You—just — conic — over—here , a very

suitable call for a hill bird, as this is.” But he disregards the

pause, sometimes a very marked one, which usually follows the

first note :—“ Boy ; just—come—over—here,” and occasionally

after the second, “ You—dolt ; come—over—here.” The song of

my male more frequently consists of the five bare notes, varying

in intensity, and often uttered with much force: —Boy: you—

just—come—here. During incubation, in the early morning, my

bird would ejaculate this song with o’er much energy and

emphasis for the sensitive ears of my neighbours, ears attuned

to the symphonies of cats and the melodies of dogs, and to

whom the singing of the birds comes as a discordance and an

abomination. One morning, after a “complaint,” the song

commenced at 4.iS, and, thinking of my watchful neighbour, I

quailed and writhed at each repetition, and hoped against hope

that each might be the last, but it was uttered with unabated

vigour thirty-three times in succession. I thought this was

sufficient, but, four mornings later, commencing shortly after

4 o’clock, the irrepressible creature went on and on until I retired

into the land of Nod on or about the 150th repetition of the

stern invitation to the heedless boy—let us hope that I lost

count, or that my sleepless neighbour was] as sound asleep as I

soon was. It is specially noticeable that whatever phase or

variation of the song the bird may commence with, that

particular variation is mostly adhered to throughout all the

repetitions. One morning, for instance, the joyful father started

off in a regular jingle :—“ Come along—and see—my babe;”

this was repeated a great number of times, but when once

dropped was lost. When one thinks of the variations in the

song, one feels that a young bird, carefully trained, might be

taught snatches of other songs, or even to repeat a short

sentence ; but the strictness with which it keeps to a limited

number of notes, rarely exceeding six, is discouraging.


Then there is the ordinary call-note, used by male and

female, consisting of one note repeated quickly several times,

but so seldom uttered by my two contented birds that I hesitate



