FAMILY Picldte. 



from the sea-coast to the eastern slope of the Rocky 

 Mountains and Alaska. 



The Cuckoo knows the value of silence, the Flicker 

 does not. The former runs along rhythmically with his 

 song, thus: <*"? ............ ; thelatter 



keeps straight on with the clattering tongue of a terma- 

 gant, thus: 7" e f ....................... 



There is the same effect of a subordinate tone in the 

 Flicker's song as there is in that of the Cuckoo, but how 

 absolutely different are the characters of the singers, and 

 how perfectly manifest in their songs ! The Flicker is a 

 noisy, aggressive bird, who publishes his whereabouts 

 immediately upon his arrival with a clamor equal to that 

 of the hysterical hen announcing the new-laid egg 1 The 

 Cuckoo, on the contrary, is a retiring, quiet character 

 who falteringly and soothingly announces his return to 

 the "old stand" with due apology to those who may 

 possibly disapprove. The Flicker sounds as if he were 

 whistling for the dogs to drive him off, the Cuckoo 

 sounds as if he were expostulating against such rude 

 treatment. The Flicker's voice resembles a monotonous 

 fortissimo performance on the oboe, the Cuckoo's a 

 pianissimo response from the ocarina.* 



It is not easy to determine the pitch of the Flicker's 

 voice because of its peculiar timbre ; it certainly is not a 

 whistle, yet one can easily imitate it by whistling with 

 due regard for the grace note. The song written out 

 should appear thus : 



ores 



____ f dim. 



$$?$W?9$9$$$$$$VVVV " 



Quit -quit -quit -quit. etc. 



though I never could promise that the interval E to G 

 on the oboe would exactly imitate the voice of the next 

 Flicker that we happen to hear ; their voices all differ. 

 In addition to this song the bird gives us an unmusical, 

 rasping 



* A terra-cotta instrument with a hollow, rather sweet tone, not 

 unlike that of an organ pipe. 



