198 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



to him. I hardly trusted my senses and could not un- 

 derstand it at first.' When the lady had told me this, 

 she turned to the canary and repeated the same words. 

 He began to twitter, and in the midst of his song we 

 heard ' Widewidewitt ! wie singst du, mein Matzchen? 

 singe, singe Matzchen, widewidewitt ! ' Again and 

 again he repeated it, and the words became clearer and 

 plainer. The bird did not articulate the words in 

 human tones, but wove them into his song. The sound 

 was always harmonious, and from the first one could 

 understand the words, but they became more distinct 

 as one listened." * Euss quotes the report of Mr. 

 S. Leigh Lotheby, in the Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society of London for 1858. A canary bird was brought 

 up by hand and his first song was very different from 

 the characteristic one of his kind.f He was constantly 

 talked to, and one day when he was about three months 

 old he astonished his mistress by pronouncing after 

 her the caressing words that she used to him, " Kissie, 

 kissie," and then produced the smacking sound of 

 a kiss. From time to time the little bird learned other 

 words, and amused his friends by his manner of using 

 them for hours at a time (except when moulting) in 

 various combinations according to his fancy, and as 

 clearly as the human voice can produce them: "Dear, 

 sweet Fitchie, kiss Minnie, kiss me then, dear Minnie, 

 sweet, pretty little Fitchie, kissie, kissie, kissie, dear 

 Fitchie, Fitchie, wee, gee, gee, gee Fitchie, Fitchie." 

 The habitual song of this bird was more like that of a 

 nightingale, and the sound of a dog whistle used 

 in the house was often heard in it. He also whis- 



* Karl Russ, Allerlei sprechendes gefiedertes Volk, 1889, p. 169. 

 f Another proof of the great importance of imitation. 



