BIRD NOTES. 73 



tiny impulsive torrent? The temperate guide of the music-box 

 cylinder yields a long and pleasing strain to the ear; but what 

 is the chaos when from defective machinery that barrel is per- 

 mitted to revolve its circuit in a few seconds ! Such is the par- 

 allel always suggested by this song of the bobolink. I feel that 

 beneath all that dizzy tintinnabulary some rare melody is smoth- 

 ered. O Bob! what precious strain might we not disclose to the 

 world could we but control the wild spring impulse within your 

 breast and put a fly-wheel on your vocal machinery ! 



From time to time through a long period of years I have 

 added an occasional note or two to my singular vocabulary caught 

 from this meadow doggerel a syllable here, a word there, from 

 my trip across the meadow, a few more from my covert by the 

 stone wall, or a whole string of them as I lay beneath the elder- 

 bush, while the minstrel swayed upon the blossomed roof over- 

 head. Certain notes would seem easily translatable, almost as 

 though implying an Anglo-Saxon intention on the part of the 

 bird, but others can only be phonetically suggested. Here is the 

 list, copied from my random notes covering a number of years. 

 And what a pot-pourri they make when strung together, with oc- 

 casional interpolations for sequence ! 



" Bob o' link o' love o' lucky o' linkum o' linkum a jingle a jin- 

 gle a ditty bob for bonny Missus Linkum see see keep an eye 

 up here my sweet see see hear me tinkle tinkle sprinkle such a 

 liquid mellow glee wet your whistle bob temperance O gush a 

 gurgle scatter splatter such a carol as she alone can follow fol- 

 low pipe it pipe it bob O tintinnabulate for temperance temper- 

 ance whink a seeble seeble here I go across the clover sprink 

 a jinkle sprinkle treble burst a bubble purl a babble gabble glee 

 shake it out upon the meadow chink a link a wheedle see 

 look'ee look'ee ninkum ninkum deacon yonder see yessir yessir 

 funny fellow he whew whew but I must seek a rest for my cap 

 is coming off and I can hardly keep my jacket on whew tem- 

 perance temperance." 



But why attempt the impossible.^ Why add another to the 

 many parodies of this elusive meadow song ? The phonograph 



