140 THE FINCHES 



chutta, chutta, che, we, we," or " chick, chick, chick, wee, we" the latter being 

 uttered in flight. 1 The nuptial song, with its accompanying flight, of 

 the siskin has already been referred to. It consists of a number of 

 twittering sounds, sweet according to some, 2 not pleasing ("nicht schon") 

 according to others. 3 Besides this, it has a shrill, clear cry, said to 

 be like that of no other bird, and, if put to flight suddenly, testifies 

 some impatience, yet withal makes light of the incident with a " tut, 



tut, tutr^ 



The house-sparrow, though no songster, makes use of a good 

 many notes, which Naumann 5 has classified as follows : There is 

 " schilp" the call-note when perched, " dieb " that used in flight, " durr " 

 (deer} and " die, die, die " (dee), of a sentimental complexion, " tell, terell, 

 lell, tell, tell" the breeding-note, "terrr" that of warning, whilst "diel" and 

 "schilk" are reserved for love in its higher forms. " Schelm!" though 

 it might seem naturally to go with " Dieb ! " is apparently undefined. 

 Naumann, besides that he was perhaps the greatest field ornithologist 

 that ever lived, was also a German, with, no doubt, a good ear, and it 

 is, therefore, with becoming diffidence that I record my own personal 

 opinion, or at any rate suspicion, that all or most of these sounds may 

 be, and often are, used to express all or most of those meanings, each 

 of which is supposed to correspond with some one of them. 



The tree-sparrow's notes are much like those of the house- 

 sparrow, but whilst Naumann 6 finds them " more musical," Lilford 7 

 describes them as "sharper and shriller," a difference of opinion 

 which would seem to be greater than the one of fact on which it 

 is founded. In flight they have a " teck, teck," sometimes a " Uui" 

 and, should circumstances seem to warrant it, do not scruple to say 

 " demm ! " often several times in succession a habit which is soon 

 caught by the fledgling young in the nest. 8 



1 O. V. Aplin, Zool., vol. xx. p. 451, and xxi. p. 69. 



2 Ussher and Warren, Birds of Ireland. 



3 Naumann, Naturgeschichte der Vogel Mitteleuropas, iii. 



4 Ussher and Warren, Birds of Ireland. 6 Op. cit., iii. 



6 Ibid. 7 Birds of Northampton. 



8 Naumann, op. cit. 



