CONTENTS. XI 



Page 



The Butcher Bird 257 



Various notes from Kircher . , 258 



CHAPTER XV. 1 



Songs of Birds 260 



Female birds rarely sing . 260 



Supposed cause of singing . 266 



Autumnal and winter songs . . , * 267 



Recording 269 



Singing influenced by weather and food . . 272 



Theory of imitation .,,.. 272 

 Experiment on a Sky-lark by J. R. , . .279 



Vocal organs of song-birds , , . . 283 



Characters of the Nightingale's song , , . 284 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Song of Birds continued 290 



Comparative table by Barrington and Syme . . 290 

 The Wood-thrush and Song-thrush . . . .291 



The Dunnock and Chaffinch 293 



Nightingales of the north and the south ... 294 



Theory of Buffon 297 



Remarks of Goldsmith . * 298 



The Pine Grosbeak 299 



American song-birds . . . . 302 

 Keys of bird music ...... 305 



Chanting Falcon 307 



Singing of the Swan ...... 308 



Night-song birds 313 



Dreams of birds ...... 315 



CHAPTER XVII. 



Imitation and mimicry of Birds 316 



Origin of the pleasure caused by imitation . ,316 



