AN INTRODUCTION TO BIRD MUSIC. 



Probably a few birds do sing the three tones evenly but 

 they are exceptions to the rule. 



Why each species should have developed and retained 

 an established form of song it is not difficult to under- 

 stand. The habits, associations, and environment of the 

 bird have had much to do with the formation of his 

 music, and education all the rest. By education I mean 

 that gradual schooling of the imitative faculty, which, 

 ..^>nscious or not, has resulted in the attainment of mu- 

 sical tones at once pleasing to the ear. The bird sings 

 first for love of music, and second "for the love of the 

 lady." Advisedly I put the lady second, for, if he did 

 not love music first he would not have sung to her, and 

 birds, like the rest of us, arc a trifle selfish. What we 

 like most we think others will like as well, hence, in a 

 moment of unselfishness we share the object of our 

 selfishness! 



It is a fallacy to suppose that the music of the wild 

 bird has been, or is, unprogressive; through thousands of 

 years it has advanced to its present form, yet there is 

 every evidence to-day that the progression has been 

 nihil ad rem ! The fact is, the bird has not arrived ; 

 there is still no point to his song I He makes a fine 

 start, but he nearly always fails to finish on the tonic, or, 

 for that matter, anywhere at all. This, however, does 

 not signify a want of progressiveness; it rather suggests 

 a particular form of limitation. He has been imitating 

 his father or his companion, faults and all, and he has 

 not brain enough to understand that the far-reaching 

 law of music demands a finale. Through two, yes, three 

 long seasons (long f v>r him) he has been learning his song, 

 imitating something he has heard, adding his own notes 

 and touches of expression here and there, and settling 

 upon a form which, in principle, will never change. 

 His first impression is a lasting one, and he will never 

 depart from it though he will make a marked, progres- 

 sive improvement in his handling of the theme. 



Every bird sings his own song; no two sing exactly 

 alike. A sharp and retentive ear for musical form can 

 not fail to recognize those subtile differences of tone and 

 expression which make the song of every singer unique. 



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