Notes of Birds. 295 
that have arisen from the great similarity of 
some species, and the peculiarities incidental 
to age, sex, and a change of food or climate 
in otbers, without placing the observer under 
the painful necessity of destroying hfe:—a 
recommendation which will be duly appre- 
ciated by every one possessed of a humane 
disposition and a reflecting mind. 
Having endeavoured in these few preli- 
minary observations to point out the great 
importance of attending to the notes of birds, 
I shall now proceed to an inquiry into their 
origin :—an inquiry well calculated toe xercise 
the skill of the experimentalist, and the in- 
genuity of thespeculative philosopher ; though 
to the generality of mankind it may seem 
trivial and of little moment. 
The only author that Iam acquainted with, 
who has treated this curious subject at any 
length, is the Honourable Daines Barrington; 
in an essay entitled ‘Experiments and Ob- 
servations on the Singing of Birds,’ pub- 
lished in the second part of the sixty-third 
volume of the Transactions of the Royal 
Society: and as the experiments there de- 
tailed appear to be imperfect and unsatisfac- 
tory; and the conclusions drawn from them, 
hasty, unwarranted, and contrary to common 
experience; and, more especially, as this 
