THE HERMIT THRUSH 55 



highest place, he sang without a break 

 for twenty-six minutes, moving twice, 

 and then only to turn around. 



Looking over my notes I find that I 

 heard Dulcet twenty-two times, and as 

 much as six solid hours in all. Thus I 

 had a chance to make a careful study of 

 his song. In his song there are three basal 

 phrases. First, there is a shrill phrase, 

 where the bird steadily climbs until his 

 voice goes to pieces "somewhere around 

 G sharp, twenty octaves higher than the 

 limit of the piano!" At first, this shrill 

 phrase is amusing, but as one comes to 

 relate it to the total song he perceives that 

 a valuable element of great contrast is 

 contributed. Second, there is a veery 

 phrase. This reminds one of the veery's 

 wild song, for it sounds like a ringing 

 voice blown windingly down through a 

 silver tube. Third, there is a contralto 

 phrase. This phrase is given by Dulcet 

 in an exceedingly peculiar manner, and I 

 cannot furnish even a suggestion of what 



