216 WOOD NOTES WILD. 



SWAN. 



Singing on the water in Regent's Park. (Auguste Bertini.) 

 , Allegro. L ^ 



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"The Abbe* Arnaud has written some interesting remarks upon the 

 voice of the swan. 1 He says : 



" ' The swan, with his wings expanded, his neck outstretched, and his 

 head erect, places himself opposite his mate, uttering a cry to which the 

 female replies by another half a note lower. The voice of the male rises 

 from A (la), to B flat (si bemol) ; that of the female from G sharp (sol 

 diese), to A. 2 The first note is short and transient, and has the effect 

 which our musicians term sensible ; so that it is not separated from the 

 second, but seems to glide into it. Observe that, fortunately for the ear, 

 they do not both sing at once ; in fact, if, while the male sounded B flat, 

 the female gave A, or if the male uttered A while the female gave G 

 sharp, there would result the harshest and most insupportable of discords. 

 We may add that this dialogue is subjected to a constant and regular 

 rhythm, with the measure of two times (?). The keeper assured me 

 that during their amours, these birds have a cry still sharper, but much 

 more agreeable/ " Harting, J. E. : Ornith. of Shakespeare, pp. 201, 202. 



1 Wood's " Buffon," vol. xix. p. 511, note. 



* This, it will be observed, differs materially from Colonel Hawker's 

 observation. 



