io 4 JOTTINGS ABOUT BIRDS. 



not therefore reasonably clear that the song of birds 

 originated in sexual rivalry ? But a few instances 

 have been given to illustrate and confirm the views 

 I have expressed, but many others could have been 

 named, and I am not aware of one valid exception 

 which could have been quoted in opposition to 

 them. 



It scarcely comes within the scope of the present 

 chapter to allude to the various actions of birds 

 which in so many instances accompany song. In 

 some species the habit of soaring largely predomin- 

 ates ; witness the song flights of the Pipits, and the 

 aerial wanderings of the Lark. Other species stand 

 motionless to warble their song ; others sing whilst 

 hopping up and down amongst the cover. To a 

 great extent the character of the song is influenced 

 by the action or want of action of the bird pro- 

 ducing it. The music of birds that sing as they 

 fly is more uneven than in those species that warble 

 whilst at rest, as though the melody were 

 correlated with the motion. In some species song 

 is invariably accompanied by action of the wings, 

 or shaking of the plumage. This is especially 

 remarkable in the Common Starling, and seems to 

 me still further to confirm the hypothesis that song 



