VENTRILOQUIAL AND IMITATIVE POWER OF BIRDS. 67 



powers, and trusted far more to it than to flight to avoid 

 and mislead any intruder." 



In discussing this subject further, Dr. Abbott thinks 

 that through the lapse of ages the birds have, through 

 experience, learned some of the simple laws of sound. 

 " They know as well as man does that certain notes can 

 be heard at a greater distance than others. This 

 knowledge of one of the properties of sound, simple as 

 it is, is the starting point in the acquirement of mimicry, 

 which is the intermediate stage between ventriloquism 

 and the ordinary vocal utterances, including their 

 songs." 



Probably very few birds of any species have arrived 

 at such proficiency in this art, for art it certainly is, as 

 have the chats and some of the wrens, which seem able 

 to throw their voices in any direction. Many individ- 

 uals of other species are only able to modulate their 

 tones so as to seem distant or near, like the crooning of 

 the loons or piping of certain plovers on the wing, and 

 the cooing of the Carolina doves. 



Bradford Torry, who is a close observer and has a 

 quick ear for bird notes, writes of one of the vireos. 

 " The White-eyed is a singer of astonishing spirit, and 

 his sudden changes from one theme to another are 

 sometimes almost startling. He is a skillful ventrilo- 

 quist also, and I remember one in particular who 

 outwitted me completely. He was rehearsing a well- 

 known strain, but at the end there came up from the 

 bushes underneath a querulous call. At first, I took it 

 for granted that some other bird was in the underbush, 



