A MUSICAL KEY. 
Kconomy of space demands the present compact ap- 
pearance of the musical staff ; each line as well as each 
space is used to represent some one of the keys of the 
piano keyboard. The diagram of staff on page xxii, 
shows exactly the relationship of the treble staff and 
keyboard. Ihave drawn only the four octaves belong- 
ing to the upper half of the .keyboard, beginning with 
middle C (close to the keyhole of the piano) and ending 
with the fourth C above it, because within that compass 
lie all the notes with which we have to do relative to 
bird-music. Of these four octaves the lowest one (be- 
ginning with middle C) is entirely below one’s whistle, in 
fact it is extremely difficult to whistle the second D 
above middle C so one can be heard any distance away ! 
As a matter of fact birds’ voices are pitched so high, 
that most of them are somewhere within the compass of 
the last, highest octave on the piano, and many of them 
continue to the other side of the wood-work! This is the 
case with all of the Warblers. Even the Peabody Bira 
sings Old on the highest F, and for Sam and Peabody 
(see the song diagram) jumps an intérval of a fifth to the 
topmost C of the piano. Whistle that if you can, and 
you will have the correct pitch of this bird’s song. 
Nearly all birds have the ability to jump an interval and 
hit a tone with a tolerable degree of accuracy. 
The diagram shows the extent of the various intervals, 
The so-called interval of a minor third, common in the 
Field Sparrow’s song, is that which includes only on: 
ebony key between the three ivory ones. For instance, 
D, E, F, and E, F, G, and A, B, C, and B, C, D, include but 
a single ‘‘ ebony,” in their combinations; all other thirds 
include two, and are called major in contradistinction to 
minor thirds. The song diagram will show the Cuckoo 
sings a major and the Field Sparrow a minor third. 
The so-called slur, or dash connecting two or more 
notes, is of utmost importance in expressing their char- 
does or can sing with a mathematically accurate pitch. We simply 
come a great deal nearer to the note A than the bird does. It is 
wholly a matter of degree. So it is well to remember at the outset 
that there are some very dubious tones which come from Nature’g 
orchestra. 
xxix 
