206 



PASSERES. AMPELID^. 



summer dress, perhaps extending to all the cloth- 

 ing feathers. The other specimen exhibited the 

 same peculiarity, but in a less degree. 



I have much pleasure in adding the following 

 note contained in a letter from my friend, received 

 since my arrival in England. Mr. Hill, having 

 made some inquiries of a gentleman residing among 

 the Blue Mountains, Andrew Gr. Johnston, Esq., 

 received the following reply: — '* I have no copy of 

 my musical score of the Solitaire's song. The bird 

 now [July 27th] uses only its long breve notes 

 and its octave, often out of tune, more often 

 so than perfect. In the spring they are very 

 ' ' numerous in the deep forests, and warble very 

 prettily, somewhat like this : — 



sometimes thus- 



^m 



The pointed crotchets are very sweet sounds, 



^ . ^> 



and seem to sound E — vil evil. I tried in vain to 



get one this spring, but I find the negroes know 

 nothing about them. Hearing them one day sing- 

 ing, I asked two maroon-men who also listened, 

 what birds they were. One said a grey speckled 

 bird, mottled like a guinea-foivl : the other that it 

 vv^as black, and red about the rump and under the 

 wings." My conjectures on both points, are thus 



