FAMILY MnlotlltldK. 



one 



need whatever of getting them confused. Here is 

 of those distinctions again which possibly some one in 

 be inclined to classify among the hair-splitting order; if 

 so, I must say it \vill l>e wholly because insufficient 

 attention is paid to those graphic signs belonging to 

 musical notation which a child could understand! Com- 

 pare my notations. Here is the Chestnut-sided War- 

 bler's song in dots: .*..'. . * . and 

 here it is in easily obtained musical form: 



& 



>, 1 wish., I wish, t 



To use a trite saying, the difference between this and tin- 

 Yellow Warbler song No. 2 is as plain as the m 

 your face! One bird chirps up, the other down, for the 

 first three or four double notes, then one bird sings 

 a group of notes down, up, and down, and the other. 

 vice versa (with absolute distinctness) up, down, and up .' 

 There is a slight hesitancy which one merely suspects in 

 the Chestnut-sided 's effort just before he reaches tin- 

 group of the three final notes, so this I have properly in- 

 dicated by the very short rest. Thus, we have, I be- 

 lieve, a perfectly simple analysis of a certain difference 

 between two similar songs, which, for one reason o 

 another, the ornithologists have been unable to give us. 

 I need not add that without musical notation it would 

 be practically impossible to prove the case. So much f ( r 

 the usefulness of scientific music in its relation to a bird's 

 song! 



It is generally true that the song of the Chestnut-sided 

 consists of seven (Mr. Jones seems to thinks six) syllables; 

 but once in a while the little fellow disregards the rule 

 and sings on this wise: 



Presto cres. 



Chu-it, chu-it, chu-it, chu-it wit chu-tt 

 184 



