22 Mr. J. Blackwall's Observatiotis on the Notes of Birds, 



thologist with an excellent method of distinguishing species, 

 under all the various circumstances that are liable to affect 

 their plumage ; though it must be observed, that the great si- 

 milarity so evident in the songs of birds of the same species is 

 more in tone and style, than in the individual notes of which 

 they are composed *. 



I shall here remark, that it is highly probable that no bird, 

 in a wild state, ever borrows the notes of others, or becomes a 

 mocker. I am well aware that several of our native birds (as 

 the pettychaps and sedge warbler) have usually been termed 

 mockingbirds: but this is certainly improper: as they con- 

 stantlv use their own natui-al notes, and no others, they do not 

 at allmerit this ajipellation. The fine strain of the first has 

 been thought to bear a striking resemblance to those of the 

 swallow and blackbird : this, however, must be entirely ima- 

 ginary, as it is totally ditterent from them in manner and notes : 

 if it be possible to trace any similarity between them, it will 

 be found to consist in tone merely. The song of the sedge 

 warbler is wonderfully varied, and appears to be chiefly com- 

 posed of j)assages borrowed from the songs of the skylark, 

 titlark, white-throat, whinchat, lesser redpole, swallow, &c. 

 Now if any bird is entitled to the epithet of mocker, surely it 

 is this : yet these resemblances are common to the songs of 

 the whole species, which hihabit situations very unsuitable for 

 acquiring some of them. In short, these fancied imitations are 

 not studied, but purely accidental, consisting of their own 

 notes ab origiiie. 



The singing of birds has been very generally attributed to 

 the passion of love, and a desire of pleasing their mates. 



" 'Tis love creates their melody, and all 

 This waste of music is the voice of love; 

 That even to birds and beasts the tender arts 

 Of pleasing teaches f." 



Thus the great poet of nature elegantly expresses the idea. 

 This opinion, however, does not appear to be well founded : 

 their language of love, their amorous strains, consist of low 

 intermitted tones, accompanied with ridiculous gesticulations ; 

 and are altogether different from their ordinary songs, which 

 seem to be occasioned by an exuberance of animal spirits, 

 arising from an abundance of nourishing food, and an increase 

 of temperature, and by a spirit of emulation and rivalry among 

 the males. In confirmation of what is here advanced, I shall 



* Birds of the same species do not ahvays deliver their notes exactly in 

 the same order of succession ; neither do they uniformly use precisely the 

 same notes. t Thomson's Seasons, — Spring. 



observe, 



