Vol. XIX-| Recent Literature. ^*^3 



igo2 



1 



Thev relate to two young Baltimore Orioles ^Icterus galhnla) taken om 

 the nest when about five days old, reared by hand, and kept isolated t, on 

 all other birds, so that they did not hear any other bn-ds sing, nm any 

 person sing or whistle. When about a month old "they had a s.ng c 1 

 note very like that of wild birds, but with a slightly ^^tterent qua ty dif- 

 ficult to^ define, more abrupt, musical and much louder. Th y al o had 

 the peculiar rattUng chatter associated with onoles. These were all then 

 notes and w-ere uttered rarely." The birds were both females, and v e:e 

 under observation for five years, when they died, apparently of old age 



When nearly eight months old, in February, after a partial spnng moult 

 they began to'sing. "The intervals between the singing was -retimes 

 several days, and only a very few minutes in each day were devoted to 

 song. This song was very low and soft, and more or less broke" -mind- 

 ing one of the song of the White-throated ^P—w Z^'^/^--^^-) - ^^ is 

 heard during the fall and early spring migrations." ^^ song of both 



birds "increased in volume and f-^^--^'^^ ^^^'^f ^^Z*^?, "l^^^'^e/ 

 March, and during April and the first half ot May -'-l^/'^l f j^^f ^J 

 the song was incessant in both birds. It was now a loud cleai series of 

 notes of great brilliancy, and poured forth in such rapid ^^^--^^^^^^^ 

 be like that of the House Wren (T. aMon) in the interva s, -d 'ast ng 

 about as long as the warble of that bird. Except for tlie ' -"le jh.ch 

 was now and then a part of the repertoire, this song had nothing in^ 

 that reminded one of the song of the Baltimore Oriole as heaid m New 

 York, Massachusetts or at any other point where the birds occ m 

 Throiigh the second week in May, the song of both birds gradually 



diminished." ■ t w ,^i,,,ti 



The moult occurred in June, and in early July both were in full plum- 

 age "After the moult there was a secondary song season of short dura- 

 tion. The song was of the same character, but not so prolonged or 

 elaborate." The succeeding years were but repetitions of the first, with 



slight variations. .^o,-^ri 



f wo years later a second brood of orioles was taken, and "were leaied 

 in the s;me way as the others had been, except that they •-<! /^e s.c..^^ 

 ./-, and '.vere closely associated during their earher lives rvith the two 

 older Orioles." In the following year, the birds of this later brood, one 

 bv one, joined in the song of the older birds, "and in a month all were 

 singing a song not to be distinguished from that of the two older birds 

 They outlived the older birds a year or more "and always sang," says Mi . 

 Scott, "as I believe they had been taught by older birds of their own kind. 

 In short, only six orioles have ever sung this song, for I pursued the 

 experiment no farther, other matters interfering." 



Mr Scott's conclusion is as follows : "My conclusion is that two birds, 

 isolated from their o.vn kind and from all birds, but with a strong inher- 

 ited tendency to sing, originated a novel method of song, and that tour 

 birds, isolated from ^ild representatives of their own ktnd, and associated 

 ^vith these tzvcvho had invented a new song learned it trom them and 

 never sang in any other way." 



