SONGS. 293 



we never heard this pretty modulation more. Though 

 merely an occasional strain, yet I have noticed it 

 elsewhere, it thus appearing to be a favourite ut- 

 terance*." 



We have ourselves, in many instances, observed 

 what might be not inappropriately called a different 

 dialect among the same species of song-birds in 

 different counties, and even in places a few miles 

 distant from each other. This difference is more 

 readily remarked in the chaffinch, dunnock, and 

 yellow-hammer, than in the more melodious species f. 

 The chaffinches, for example, in Normandy we ob- 

 served to vary from those of Scotland by several 

 notes ; and among the yellow-hammers in Ireland, 

 England, and Holland, we detected similar diffe- 

 rences. We once heard a dunnock (Accentor mo- 

 dvlaris) in a garden at Blackheath sing so many 

 additional notes to its common song that we con- 

 cluded it was of a different species, till we ascertained, 

 by watching the little musician, that it was not other- 

 wise distinguished from its less accomplished bre- 

 thren J. Of the chaffinch, Barrington says that those 

 of Essex are more esteemed than others by the Lon- 

 don bird-catchers ; and Pennant tells us, he knew five 

 guineas paid for one which had an uncommon note, 

 under which it was intended to train others . In 

 Italy, as we learn from M. Montbeillard, the linnets of 

 Abruzzo and of the March of Ancona are preferred ||. 



In the case of the finer song birds, it requires a 

 more practised ear to observe the differences, though 

 these are still more considerable than in the species 

 just mentioned. We have not, indeed, remarked so 

 much variety as Mr. Knapp has done in the song- 



* Journ. of a Naturalist, p. 271, 3d ed. 



t J. Rennie, on the Singing of Birds, Edinb. Mag. Jan. 1819, 

 p. 11. 



J J. R. Brit. Zool. ii. 336. || Oiseaux, Art. La Linotte. 



2 c3 



