OVEN-BIRD 199 
in a plantation can always be known from the noisy 
turmoil among the Oven-birds. At frequent intervals 
during the day the male and female meet and express 
their joy in clear, resonant notes sung in concert—a 
habit common to a very large number of Dendroco- 
laptine birds, including, I think, all those species 
which pair for life. In a majority of species this 
vocal performance merely consists of a succession 
of confused notes or cries, uttered with great spirit 
and emphasis; in the Oven-bird it has developed 
into a kind of harmonious singing. Thus, the first 
bird, on the appearance of its mate flying to the place 
of meeting, emits loud, measured notes, sometimes 
a continuous trilling note with a somewhat hollow, 
metallic sound; but immediately on the other bird 
joining, this introductory passage is changed to rapid 
triplets, strongly accented on the first and last notes, 
while the second bird utters a series of loud measured 
notes perfectly according with the triplets of the 
first. While thus singing they stand facing each 
other, their necks outstretched, wings hanging, and 
tails spread, the first bird trembling with its rapid 
utterances, the second beating on the branch with 
its wings. The finale consists of three or four notes 
uttered by the second bird alone, and becoming 
successively louder and more piercing until the end. 
There is an infinite variety in the tone in which dif- 
ferent couples sing, also in the order in which the 
different notes are uttered, and even the same couple 
do not repeat their duet in precisely the same way ; 
but it is always a rhythmical and, to some extent, 
