vi On the Songs of Birds 153 



Curiously enough, the idea that the Nightingale 

 teaches its young to sing is as old as Aristotle. He 

 says in his Natural History that this bird "seems 

 to instruct her young ones, and to repeat to them 

 certain passages for their imitation, as the language 

 does not come naturally in the same manner as the 

 voice, but must be acquired by exercise and study." 

 And once more we have a capital instance from Mr. 

 Hudson of the pains which young birds will take to 

 acquire their song. He says that the young of the 

 Oven-bird, when only partially fledged, are often 

 heard practising in the nest or oven the curious duets 

 which the parents are in the habit of singing together. 

 This goes on while the old birds are absent ; " single 

 measured notes, triplets, and long concluding trills 

 are all repeated with wonderful fidelity." 



While we are upon the subject of imitation, I 

 should like to say a word about that very curious 

 phenomenon in a few birds the intentional and im- 

 pudent appropriation of the notes and songs of others. 

 I do not know that I can explain this, but I can at 

 any rate give a good example of it. 



We have all heard of Mocking-birds, but few of 

 us probably have heard the feat accomplished to 

 perfection. We have one or two common birds in 

 England which attempt it the Starling, for example, 

 and the Sedge Warbler. This last little bird is clever 

 at mimicking, in the course of his incessant rattling 



