232 HISTORY or 



sdtiitions. The fieldfare and the red-wing breed pass their 

 summers in Norway, and other cold countries, and are tempted 

 hither to our mild winters, and to those various berries which 

 then abound with us, and make their principal food. The haw- 



i 



•ing, for the purpose, as Buffon supposed, of cheering' his mate during the 

 licriod of incubation ; but this idea, gallant as it is, has such slight founda- 

 tion in probability, that it needs no confutation : and after all, perhaps, we 

 I nust conclude, that listened to, adjuired, and pleasing, as the voices of many 

 birds are, either for their intrinsic melody, or from association, we are lui. 

 certain what they express, or the object of their song. The singing of most 

 birds seems entirely a spontaneous effusion produced by no exertion, or oc 

 casioning no lassitude in muscle, or relaxation of the parts of action. In 

 certain seasons and weather, the nightingale sings all day, and most part of 

 the night ; and we never observe that the powers of song are weaker, or 

 that the notes become harsh and untunable, after all these hours of practice. 

 The song-thrush, in a mild, moist April, will commence his tune early in 

 the morning, pipe unceasingly through the day, yet, at the close of eve, 

 when he retires to rest, there is no obvious decay of his musical powers, or 

 any sensible effort required to continue his harmony to the last. Birds of 

 one species sing in general very like each other, with different degrees of 

 execution. Some counties may produce finer songsters, but without great 

 variation in the notes. In the thrush, however, it is remarkable, that there 

 seems to be no regular notes, each individual piping a voluntary of his owni. 

 Their voices may always be distinguished amid the choristers of the copse, 

 yet some one performer will more particularly engage attention by a pecu- 

 liar modulation or tune ; and should several stations of these birds be visit- 

 ed in the same morning, few or none probably will be found to preserve the 

 same round of notes ; whatever is uttered seeming the effusion of the mo- 

 ment At times a strain will break out perfectly unlike any preceding ut- 

 terance, and we may wait a long time without noticing any repetition of it. 

 During one spring, an individual song-thrush frequenting a favourite copse, 

 after a certain round of tune, trilled out most regularly some notes that 



; conveyed so clearly the words, lady-bird ! lady-bird ! that everyone remark. 



, cd the resemblance. He sunived the winter, and in the ensuing season, 

 the lady-bird ! lady-bird ! was still the burden of our evening song ; it then 

 ceased, and we never heard this pretty modulation more. Though merely 

 an occasional strain, yet 1 have noticed it elsewhere — it thus appearing to 

 be a favourite utterance. Harsh, strained, and tense, as the notes of this 

 bird are, yet they are pleasing fTom their variety. Tlie voice of the black, 

 bird is infinitely more mellow, but has much less variety, compass, or exe- 

 cution ; and he too commences his carols with the morning light, persever. 

 ing from hoiu- to hour Avithout effort, or any sensible faltering of voice. 

 The cuckoo wearies us throughout some long May morning wdth the un- 

 ceasing monotony of its song, and though there are others as vociferous, 

 yet it is the only bird I know that seems to sufler from the use of the organs 

 of voice. Little exertion as the few notes it makes use of seem to require, 

 yet, by the middle or end of June, it loses its utterance, becomes hoarse, and 

 ceases from any fiu-thcr essay of it. The croaking of the nightingale in 

 June, or the end of May, is not apparently occasioned by the loss of voice. 



