56 THE MOUNTAINS 



it is like. Again and again after this con- 

 tralto phrase I have exclaimed, "There 

 can be no sweeter sound this side of 

 heaven." Nor is this all, for every phrase 

 is given by Dulcet with two, and infre- 

 quently with three modifications; and yet 

 all these phrases are wrought into one 

 harmonious song-structure. And there is 

 still one important feature to be noted, 

 and this feature is true in a measure of 

 every hermit thrush. The first note of 

 every phrase is held, not an instant, but 

 the ghost of an instant, and this sugges- 

 tion of a pause wonderfully quiets the 

 strong tide of the song and makes the 

 total effect meditative. 



Several times I made an exact record 

 of Dulcet's song, to find out whether there 

 was any law as to the order of singing the 

 phrases. Here is a part of one of the 

 records, S standing for the shrill phrase, 

 V for the veery phrase, and C for the 

 contralto phrase, to be read always from 

 S downward: 



