FAMILY Frlnglllidx. 



A musical cadence is perfectly illustrated by the latter 

 half of the Vesper Sparrow's song, which pn> presses 

 downward to the finish at the tonic. There is //o//,?//r/ 

 whatever which remotely suggests that structure in the 

 White-crown's song. 



If I described the melody of this Sparrow, I should 

 say, it is composed of six, or at most seven notes (unless 

 it is doubled) ; the first one is twice as long as the others 

 which are of about even value. The intervals are fairly 

 accurate and include anything from a third to a lii'th ; 

 all the notes are clearly whistled except (generally) the 

 two next to the last, and these are distinctly double-toned 

 or burred ; the whole is marked by an even crescendo to 

 the highest note which is next to or within one of tin- 

 last, or sometimes actually the last. But Mr. Thomp- 

 son's description of the song, if it is taken from the point 

 of view which includes sentiment only, is categorically 

 correct, for the whistle is almost all clear and it has a sof t , 

 pleading quality which is irresistibly sweet. Mr. Thomp- 

 son also adds that the bird "resembles his relatives 

 in singing his sweetest songs in the woods, sometimes 

 during the darkest hours of the night." Mr. Ned Dear- 

 born describes the song of this Sparrow and compares 

 the last of it with that of the Vesper Sparrow, which 

 might lead one to think the final diminuendo a pro- 

 tracted one. He writes, " The song began with a 

 whistle as pure in tone as the notes of the White- 

 throated Sparrow, and ended with a vocal diminuendo 

 quite similar to the corresponding portion of the Vesper 

 Sparrow's song." The diminuendo is indeed there, but 

 it is a short one, and in comparison with that of the 

 Vesper's performance quite insignificant, for the Ves- 

 per's diminuendo embraces nearly one half of his song, 

 and applies to notes of an entirely different and canary - 

 like character (see notations of the Vesper). 



The music of the White-crown is very easily recorded, 

 there is nothing dubious about his tones or his intervals : 

 he may flat, or even sharp some particularly high note, 

 but there is no question about what he is trying to do ; 

 his ideal is a group of clear, unhurried tones with pleas- 

 ing intervals like those in the first lines of the hymn : 

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