VOICES OF BIRDS. 275 



any preceding utterance, and we may wait a long 

 time without noticing any repetition of it. During 

 one spring an individual song-thrush, frequenting 

 a favourite copse, after a certain round of tune, 

 trilled out most regularly some notes that conveyed 

 so clearly the words, lady-bird ! lady-bird ! that 

 every one remarked the resemblance. He survived 

 the winter, and in the ensuing season the lady-bird! 

 lady^bird ! was still the burden of our evening 

 song; it then ceased, and we never heard this 

 pretty modulation more. Though merely an occa- 

 sional strain, yet I have noticed it elsewhere it 

 thus appearing to be a favourite utterance. Harsh, 

 strained, and tense, as the notes of this bird are, 

 yet they are pleasing from their variety. The 

 voice of the blackbird is infinitely more mellow, but 

 has much less variety, compass, or execution ; and 

 he too commences his carols with the morning light, 

 persevering from hour to hour without effort, or 

 any sensible faltering of voice. The cuckoo wearies 

 us throughout some long May morning with the 

 unceasing monotony of its song; and, though there 

 are others as vociferous, yet it is the only bird I 

 know that seems to suffer from the use of the 

 organs of voice. Little exertion as the few notes 

 it makes use of seem to require, yet, by the middle 

 or end of June, it loses its utterance, becomes 

 hoarse, and ceases from any further essay of it. 

 The croaking of the nightingale in June, or the end 



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