BIRDS WITH UNMUSICAL VOICES. 



129 



can (many of them) imitate all creation from the 

 voice of man down to a creaking barn door ! 



Three of the strangest of the bird voices (they are 

 also very familiar ones) are those of the whip-poor- 



Whip-poor-will. 



will, night hawk, and screech owl. The iirst every 

 one recognizes, and the uncanny tones of the last 

 probably every one knows without being able to tell 

 what kind of a creature they belong to. Both of 

 these birds are, in a measure, musical, although it 

 will be difficult for me to represent by musical signs 

 the true character of their singing. As every one, I 

 suppose, can recall the exact intonation of' the whip- 

 poor-will's few notes, I imagine it will be interesting 

 to see how they can be musically rendered : 



4 



& 





3: 







fi 



kuk I /fa* I U M 



Whip-poor-will Whip-poor-will Whip-poor-will 



The " kuk " we can only hear if we are within 

 10 



