THE BUNTINGS 181 



and a certain famous line has imperishably connected this attribute 

 with the song of the nightingale, whilst another well sets forth the 

 most essential quality of music. 1 



Unlike that of the last-mentioned species, the song of the snow- 

 bunting is to be heard here, at home. Not often, certainly, but from 

 time to time, it may please the ear of some Highland or Shetland 

 shepherd, unbribed, let us hope, to obtain either the bird or its eggs 

 for some hungry collector or ravening museum. Which is the more 

 musical of these two most musical of the Bunting tribe, I do not know, 

 but certainly the snow-bunting is a very fine performer, and we have 

 a few more data concerning him. What Hagerup says, indeed, is 

 perhaps not wholly in the bird's favour, since, having first cavilled at 

 the " melancholy nature " of the song of Lapponicus, he refers to the 

 snow-bunting as " this merry songster." However, he means well, and 

 is soon constrained to use a higher adjective. " It is chiefly," he tells 

 us, " in April, whilst the country is still covered with snow, that their 

 glorious song is most appreciated. It consists of loud and clear flute- 

 notes, combined into short stanzas, but has no definite melody. The 

 birds sing, frequently, while sitting on an elevation, but seldom on 

 the wing." In this last respect, therefore, Lapponicus is certainly the 

 superior, or, rather, he would be, could Hagerup's statement be 

 accepted as final. As against it, however, we have that of Seebohm, 

 who certainly writes as though what he was describing were a thing of 

 wont, " The males," he says, " would fling themselves up into the air, 

 almost like a shuttlecock, giving, all the time, a low and melodious 

 warble, not unlike that of a shorelark (Otocorys alpestris), or perhaps 

 still more like that of the Lapland-bunting, and they would immedi- 

 ately descend, in a spiral curve, with wings and tail expanded, and 

 finish their song on a rock. 2 It would appear, therefore, that not only 

 is the song of these two northern species the most poetic, surely, of 

 their kind much alike, but that it is also sung in the same way. 



1 "I am never merry when I hear sweet music." For the philosophy of this, which applies 

 to birds in their degree, see Darwin (Descent of Man) in one of his most interesting chapters. 



2 Birds of Siberia. 



2 A 



