WILLOW-WARBLER, WOOD-WARBLER, CHIFFCHAFF 59 



zeup, zeup, zeup, zeup." 1 Both these renderings give the bird distinctly 

 more than two different notes. It has seemed to me, at times, that a 

 third note was uttered, but not strongly marked, and it may have been 

 due to change in the direction of the sound. 



The series of notes uttered, in the separate phrases, are by no 

 means always repeated in the same order or number. One bird to 

 which I listened attentively (June 27) repeated in an unvarying order 

 the first six notes of every phrase : "chiff, chaff, chaff : chiff, chaff, chaff."" 

 With this may be compared Naumann's "Dilm, delm, demm: dilm, delm, 

 </> mm." But the remaining notes of the phrases varied in both order 

 and number. The following are examples : 



(7) (8) (9) (10) 



. . . chaff, chaff, chiff, chiff. 



. . . chaff, chiff, chaff, chiff. 



. . . chaff, chiff, chiff, chiff. 



. . . chafi, chaff, chiff. 



. . . chiff, chiff, chaff. 



. . . chiff, chaff, chaff. 



. . . chiff, chaff, chiff. 



. . . chiff. 



This singular melody is uttered by the little performer with untiring 

 good-will ; and as he sings, perched often on the top of a high tree, he 

 turns his head from side to side, as if anxious that every part of his 

 audience should in turn be favoured with the full sound of his voice. 

 The movement of the head no doubt accounts for the ventriloquistic 

 powers ascribed to the bird by some observers, 2 and possibly also, as 

 already suggested, for the variations in its notes that are not due to 

 alterations in pitch. It may be added that, at the beginning and end 

 of its song, the bird is often heard to utter a few low muttered notes, 

 which have been syllabled variously as frui, frfai, fr&i, or derr-derr- 

 derr or hedededet, renderings that show incidentally how differently the 

 same sound may present itself to different naturalists. 3 



1 Bailly, Ornithologie de la Savoie, ii. p. 435. " Ibid., ii. p. 435. 



3 Naumann, Bailly, loc. cit. ; Howard, British Warblers, Part II., p. 31. 



