FAMILY Turd/da.. 



There is an immense contrast in the dynamics of the 

 song; it ranges from pp to ff ; there is nothing of this kind 

 which characterizes the Wood Thrush's music. Also, 

 there is a remarkable, mysterious overtone, purely har- 

 monic and ventriloquistic in quality, which at times 

 dominates the cadenza of the song and holds the listener 

 in rapt surprise! Unless one is very near the singer this, 

 and all the wonderful pianissimo effects are completely 

 lost. On the contrary, at near range, some of the more 

 powerful notes are almost ear-splitting. I am not alone 

 in this estimate of the Hermit's song, as the following 

 lines from the pen of Prof. Theodore Clarke Smith will 

 testify *: "The voice of the Hermit Thrush was made in- 

 dividual by overtones giving it a considerable richness 

 and penetration and even a metallic burr or buzz. It 

 suggested somewhat the reed-quality of the oboe super- 

 added to a flute's open tone. . . . The ' burr ' was 

 audible at short ranges only. At a hundred yards or less 

 it blended to give the voice a singularly ringing metallic 

 quality which gave it a carrying power unapproached 

 by any other bird of that region. . . . Heard from 

 a very close range the long full notes were fairly pierc- 

 ing, so sweet, full, and vibrant were they. They were 

 too loud for comfort, and when the bird suddenly began 

 to sing while perched on a fence about ten feet from my 

 tent it fairly made my ears ring." Prof. Smith has also 

 stated that he heard this Thrush's song at a distance of 

 fully three quarters of a mile over Lake Memphrema- 

 gog. After such testimony as this it does not seem 

 necessary to further refute the statement that the Her- 

 mit Thrush's song is lacking in volume. As for the 

 variety of his notes, the notations herewith speak for 

 themselves; and lest anyone should think these are a bit 

 florid, I again take the liberty of quoting from Prof. 

 Smith's article, and suggest that his following notation 

 be compared with some of mine: 



* Vide The Ohio Naturalist, Vol. in., No. 4, pg. 871. A Hermit 

 Thrush Song. This in a truthful and most excellent analysis of 

 the music of this remarkable Thrush, whose son* is not as familia" 

 to the bird-lover as it ought to l*\ 



