"l9i6 J (Jldys, The Singing of Veeries. 19 



brought me to Taylor's Falls, Minn., on June 9. At this attractive 

 spot beside the Dalles of the St. Croix I was so fortunate as to 

 make several interesting ornithological notes, including the record 

 of two rhythmical Veery songs. The first bird was singing in regular 

 order three phrases, each with different closing notes, like those of 

 the Rhinebeck Veery, and also with an additional opening note in 

 the third phrase, as in the case of the Rhinebeck bird. To show the 

 rhythm alone these phrases may be freely syllabled thus: 



Wee-ie-a-wee, te-a-ioee, te-a-ivee: 



Wee-te-a-wee, te-a-wee, te-a-wee: 



W ee-te-te-a-wee, te-a-wee, te-a-wee. 



I did not take the notes, chiefly because of the presence in the 

 vicinity of a voluble Rose-breasted Grosbeak, an energetic brass 

 band with a particularly enthusiastic bass drummer, and a merry- 

 go-round with the usual depressing music, traction-engine whistle, 

 and other noise producers. 



The second bird was uttering a song of four phi'ases, in which 

 the first and third phrases were identical and ended with A flat; 

 the second phrase was similar to these, but closed with G flat (both 

 of these closing notes being long) ; and the fourth phrase was notice- 

 ably shorter than an}^ of the others and was finished with an inde- 

 terminate broken chord. 



The following day I was at Moose Lake, Minn., a point about 

 forty miles south of Duluth. Veeries were plentiful and were 

 singing freely. Every song I listened to critically consisted of three 

 different phrases, repeated always in the same order. Another 

 point of resemblance to the Rhinebeck song was that the first 

 part of each phrase consisted of two higher notes and the second 

 of a broken chord on a lower pitch repeated without further change 

 of pitch. In the notations of Veeries' songs made by other musi- 

 cians the closing notes have sometimes been represented as chords; 

 but I believe that what these listeners heard were not actual 

 chords, but broken chords, the separate notes of which were uttered 

 so rapidly as to cause them to seem to blend in complete harmony. 



The Veery's singing offers a very difficult study to the recorder 

 of bird music; but because of its very difficulty it is especially 

 tempting to an enthusiastic and conscientious explorer of this 



