THE SINGERS 61 



three-quarters of a mile away. There is a hill be- 

 tween me and the nightingale ; yet it does not quite 

 stop those wonderful sounds. The place must be 

 favourable to the passage of sound ; but, even so, 

 think of so small a throat and tongue ruling the night 

 like this, their sounds disturbing a mile of air ! No 

 wonder the old writer broke out into that praise 

 " O Lord, if Thou providest bad men on earth such 

 musick as this, what must Thou have provided for 

 Thy saints in heaven ! " The blackcap has not this 

 mastery of space, this power of making silence loud. 

 One must be quite close to a blackcap to get the best 

 of its song. Hollow, shady groves in river valleys 

 where the water flows quietly are good places in 

 which to hear the blackcap now and in July ; for he 

 sings on for a few weeks after the nightingale has 

 ended. Here the blackcap gives a song that of its 

 kind could hardly be bettered. The distinctive whist- 

 ling notes of it are so choice. The timbre of the 

 blackcap's voice is exquisite. The blackcap is rather a 

 shy and casual singer, not laying himself out earnestly 

 for song as thrushes or nightingales ; so he is un- 

 familiar to most ears. His songs have often to be 

 sought. They repay the search. 



From the blackcap I turn to the little " leaf 

 warblers." It is hard to overrate the meek willow 

 wren. Strange how so many people who know 

 something of birds, and care for their songs, are 

 unconscious of this little sylph ! It is the most con- 



