HOW YOUNG BIRDS LEARN TO SING. 



By G. W. BULMAX, M.A., B.Sc. 



Thk (juestion of how a young bird Icarus the 

 peculiar song of its own species is an interesting 

 one, although the subject does not seem to lune 

 much engaged the attention of Naturalists. Walking 

 from Hexham to Corbridge in Northumberland 

 early last August, I had the pleasure of listening 

 to the singing lesson of a voung \-ellow hammer. 

 One bird, the pupil, with slightly weaker and less 

 decided song, was answering another which sang in a 

 clearer and more finished style. There was no 

 mistaking the fact that the first song came from the 

 more accomplished songster, and it was hard to resist 

 the conviction that the other was an imitation. It 

 seemed, in fact, a \'oimg bird learning to sing. 

 Several times the instructor gave the complete 

 song — " A very, very little bit of bread and NO 

 cheese '" — and the pupil re[)lied also witli e\er\- note. 

 There was no hurry, and alwa\s a (juite [lerceptible 

 pause between the songs. Then some three times 

 in succession the teacher gave the song without the 

 final note. And the puj^il duh- replied with a song 

 one note short. Then the instructor went liack to 

 the complete version, Init so long as I listened it 

 was answered by the in( miiplete song. 



This incident recalls some observations on the 

 subject made some _\'ears ago. August is a specialh- 

 fa\'oural)le time for listening to the vellow hammer's 

 song. Then it seems to come out with a clearness 

 and beauty peculiar to the season. Whether this is 

 due to the silence of the louder songsters, or whether 

 the yellow hammer's song really impro\es by practice 

 as the year advances, is perhaps uncertain. And in 

 listening to this August songster I had often thought 

 there must lie two similar but distinct bird sones, 

 and tried to make out to which of the buntings 

 the other could belong. The one song was rapid, 

 clear, and distinct, the other slow and frequenth' 

 omitting the proper ending. But listening care- 

 full}- one afternoon I convinced nnself that the 

 former was that of the old bird, and the latter 

 that of the young one learning to sing. First 

 of all came the quick, clear, decided song, and then, 

 after a few seconds, the slow, hesitating, and often 

 stopping short imitation. These were given in 

 regular alternation for a long time. As I listened to 

 them, it was impossible to resist the conviction 

 that it was a young bird receiving its singing lesson. 

 A somewhat similar account of a voung bird learning 

 to sing was recorded some years ago in the pages of 

 a natural history periodical known as the Field Club. 

 now no longer extant. Personally I have not met 

 with any evidence that an\- other species learn their 

 songs in this way. Nor have I come across the 

 records of anv other observers who ha\e heard 



similar singing lessons, except the above-mentioned 

 case, which, I believe, also referred to the yellow- 

 hammer. Young robins, song thrushes, and black- 

 birds, which I have heard making their early efforts, 

 ha\-e alw-a^■s been singing al<ine. 



Many )-ears ago the Hon. Daines Barrington made 

 some interesting experiments. He reared young 

 linnets under sk\-larks, woodlarks and titlarks, and 

 found that in each case thev learned the song of 

 their foster-parent instead of their own. He 

 concluded, therefore, that the song of a bird is no 

 more innate than language is in man. And more 

 recently the experiment of rearing Baltimore orioles 

 altogether apart from their parents has been tried. 

 Two which were thus reared in a fourth iloor flat in 

 Boston, developed a song of their own. different from 

 the proper song of the species. Other nestlings 

 afterwards reared in the company of these two also 

 learned the new song. Mr. Hudson, again, notes the 

 case of the oven bird, the >oung of which apparently 

 learn h\- imitating their parents while still in the 

 nest. The old birds, it appears, sing a sort of duet 

 together, and according to the above naturalist, " the 

 young birds, when only partially fledged, are 

 constantly heard in the nest or o\-en. apparently 

 jiractising these duets in the intervals when the 

 parents are absent." 



The direct inutation exiilanation of bird-song is 

 strengthened by the fact that in many birds the 

 imitative faculty seems to be strong. Putting aside 

 the familiar cases of our own starling and the 

 American mocking bird, the following examples of 

 imitation in birds not usually n-iimics may be 

 cited. On one occasion I heard a blackbird cro\\- 

 like a cock. And I find that Yarrell records the 

 fact that it is occasionally known to do so. On 

 another occasion I heard a robin in-iitate the song 

 thrush. Again, on one occasion only, I heard 

 a skylark twist the song of a chaflinch into its 

 own more copious melody. I incline, however, 

 to think that this may have been unconscious 

 imitation. 



There are birds, how-ever, like the cuckoo, which 

 apparentlv cannot learn by imitation, whose 

 song must be supposed to be innate. And the 

 case of Rliyncliofiis nifcsceiis cited by Mr. Hudson 

 is of similar iiuport. A 3-oung'bird of this species 

 was taken from the nest when just breaking the 

 shell. It was reared where it had no chance of 

 hearing the song of its species. Yet long before it 

 was full grown it would retire to a dark corner of 

 tile room, and give its characteristic evening song 

 in great perfection. 



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