Mr. J. Blackwall’s Ornithological Notes. 23 
accusation of plagiarism is erroneous, for those fancied imitations 
are merely resemblances, and are common to the songs of the 
entire species, which certainly would not be the case if they were 
factitious. In short, from the general character of the localities 
habitually frequented by the sedge warbler, it can seldom have 
an opportunity of hearing some of the birds whose notes it is 
supposed to mimic, while those of the black-headed bunting, 
Emberiza scheniclus, which is frequently associated with it, are 
never introduced into its song, that I am aware of, though from 
their style and tone they appear to be perfectly well adapted to 
its vocal powers and particularly easy of acquisition, being few 
in number and often repeated. 
When resident in Lancashire I enjoyed excellent opportunities 
of minutely investigating the habits of the jay, the magpie and 
the starling, species whose talent for mimicry is susceptible of a 
high degree of cultivation, the last possessing this faculty in a 
more perfect state of development perhaps than any other British 
bird ; but, with the exception of individuals educated in captivity, 
I never detected the slightest display of their imitative powers ; 
and this remark applies with equal force to the bullfinch, which 
has very few natural notes, can scarcely be said to sing at all, 
and, while it retains its liberty, is not known to mimic any 
sound whatever ; yet whose great docility, retentive memory and 
flexibility of voice render the acquirement of artificial tunes an 
easy task. 
That persons of lively imagination should mistake the singu- 
lar tones comprised in the song of the starling for imitations of 
various inarticulate sounds ; the imperfect notes of the blackbird 
for endeavours to rival the crowing of the domestic cock ; or one 
of the spring-calls of the great titmouse for a successful effort to 
counterfeit the noise made in sharpening a saw, may cease to 
be regarded with surprise, when the attempts of some ornitho- 
logists to convey to the minds of their readers ideas of the songs 
of birds by the arbitrary arrangement of vowels and consonants 
are taken into consideration. 
A blackbird, after numerous unsuccessful endeavours to execute 
its song, which it was prevented from domg by some organic 
defect, abandoned the undertaking, and continued throughout 
the entire season to repeat, at intervals, two notes in quick suc- 
cession, the only musical tones apparently to which it was ca- 
pable of giving expression. The bird usually took its stand on 
a branch of a large Portugal laurel nearly opposite to my sitting- 
room window, and the frequent recurrence of these two notes 
soon suggested a familiar name to which they bore a resemblance 
sufficiently close to excite a momentary suspicion that it might 
be the result of imitation. That namé I shall abstain from 
