30 Wilderness Ways. 



as some think of it), to an indefinite length, instead 

 of stopping at the second or third repetition, which 

 is the rule with good singers. Then they would 

 come out of the shadow, and stir about briskly, and 

 sing again with an air of triumph. 



One day, while lying still in the underbrush watch- 

 ing a wood mouse, Killooleet, a fine male bird and a 

 perfect singer, came and sang on a branch just over 

 my head, not noticing me. Then I discovered that 

 there is a trill, a tiny grace note or yodel, at the end 

 of his second note. I listened carefully to other 

 singers, as close as I could get, and found that it is 

 always there, and is the one difficult part of the song. 

 You must be very close to the bird to appreciate the 

 beauty of this little yodel ; for ten feet away it sounds 

 like a faint cluck interrupting the flow of the third 

 note ; and a little farther away you cannot hear it 

 at all. 



Whatever its object, Killooleet regards this as the 

 indispensable part of his song, and never goes on to 

 the third note unless he gets the second perfectly. 

 That accounts for the many times when one hears 

 only the first two notes. That accounts also for the 

 occasional prolonged trill which one hears ; for when 

 a young bird has tried many times for his grace note 

 without success, and then gets it unexpectedly, he is 



