INTRODUCTION. 9 



cows, Davy." And they say that a thief named David, 

 who was bent upon stealing one^ hearing this apparently 

 approving voice from a lofty tree " Take two cows, 

 Davy" replied, "Well, indeed, mister, I'll take your 

 advice," and acted accordingly. 



One gentleman of my acquaintance, speaking of this 

 curious adaptation of these well-known notes, said, " The 

 bird always ends with * Take two cows.' " Another was 

 of opinion that the closing phrase was always "take." 

 I should be glad to hear the opinions of my readers on 

 this interesting point : my own is already made up. 



Although the Titmice and some other birds can hardly 

 be said to sing, still many of their call-notes are ex- 

 tremely pleasing, and serve greatly to enliven our woods 

 and gardens. For these reasons I have thought it well 

 to include them in my list, together with the Cuckoo, 

 Swallow, and a few others. In point of fact, it is not 

 always easy to decide what is a song bird, and what is 

 not. Perhaps the most satisfactory definition of a song 

 is, first, certain notes peculiar to the male bird, and 

 secondly, uttered by him, for the most part, during the 

 breeding season. 



Of course, there are many exceptions ; still the general 

 rules seem to be much as I have stated. The period of 

 singing is mainly the spring, although some birds may 

 be heard at intervals throughout the year. The month 

 of May is pre-eminently the month of song. In June 

 the warblers begin to fall off; in July there are but few 

 singers ; whilst August is the mutest month in the year. 

 Alas ! it is in these months alone that I can generally 

 take my much-needed vacation. 



There are many points of interest to be investigated 



