CIRL BUNTINGS IN SUSSEX 55 



Dealing with the Yellowhammer-' * Girl " ques- 

 tion first, it can safely be said that, while the 

 exact difference is rather difficult of definition, the 

 songs of the two species are almost always pitched 

 in keys of sufficiently different character as seldom 

 to warrant more than transient qualms concerning 

 their identity to the trained hearing of the expert ; 

 for the " Girl's " song is ever more trilling, more 

 penetrating, and more metallic than the Yellow- 

 hammer's, and, for that matter, than the Lesser 

 White throat's. Beyond this, it must be remem- 

 bered that the Yellowhammer more often than not 

 terminates its persistent dirge with a prolonged 

 note, at least two tones higher than the preceding 

 part of the refrain, whereas the " Girl's ' ' tune ' 

 generally comprises but one note from start to 

 finish. I say " generally," because on rare occa- 

 sions and it is a fact which hitherto appears to 

 have entirely escaped the observation of every writer- 

 naturalist the song ends with an abrupt week or 

 weet, which sounds exactly as though the musician 

 were hiccoughing softly. Moreover, it is squeaky 

 and slightly base (as compared to the preceding 

 portion) if rapidly rapped out, as compared with 

 the full, rather prolonged and somewhat ascending 

 finish of the Yellow Bunting's song. This termina- 

 tion, however, is rare, or appears to be rare ; 

 anyhow, you must be really close to the performer 

 to realize it at all, so feeble, so half-hearted is it. 

 The novice, in fact, chancing to notice this finish 



