CLASS II. AVES. 11 



reason for believing the young of that bird would be destitute of its native notes ; for if nestling 

 birds have no innate notes peculiar to their species, and their song is only learned from the parent 

 bird, how are we to account for the invariable note each species possesses, when it happens that 

 two different species are bred up in the same bush, or in the contiguous one, or when hatched or 

 fostered by a different species ? The males of song birds do not in general search for the female, 

 but, on the contrary, their business in the spring is to perch on some conspicuous spot, breathing 

 out their full and amorous notes, which, by instinct, the female knows, and repairs thither to 

 choose her mate. This is particularly verified with respect to summer birds of passage. The 

 nightingale, and most of its genus, although timid and shy to a degree, mount aloft, and inces- 

 santly pour forth their strains, each seemingly vying in its lone, love-labored song, before the 

 female arrives. No sooner does the female make her appearance than dreadful battles ensue — 

 their notes are changed ; their song is sometimes hurried through without the usual grace and 

 elegance, and at other times modulated into a soothing melody. The first w^e conceive to be a 

 provocation to battle at the appearance of another male ; the last, an amorous cadence, or court- 

 ing address. This variety of song only lasts till the female is fixed in her choice, which is in gen- 

 eral a few days after her arrival, and if the season is favorable, she soon begins the task allotted 

 to her sex. 



"The male no longer exposes himself as before, nor are his songs heard so frequently, or so 

 loud ; but while she is searching for a secure place in which to build her nest, he is no less assid- 

 uous in attending her with ridiculous gestures, accompanied with peculiarly soft notes. When 

 incubation takes place, the song of the male is again heard, but not so frequently as at first ; he 

 never rambles from hearing, and seldom from her sight, and if she leaves the nest, he accompa- 

 nies her with soft notes of love. 



"The continuation of song in caged birds by no means proves it is not occasioned by a stimu- 

 lus to love ; indeed, it is probable that redundancy of animal spirits from plenty of food and arti- 

 ficial heat may produce the same residt, whereas wild birds have it abated by a commerce with 

 the other sex ; but even in their natural state birds may be forced to continue their song much 

 longer than usual. A male redstart made his appearance near my house early in spring, and 

 soon commenced his love-tuned song. In two days after, a female arrived, which for several days 

 the male was continually chasing, emitting soft, interrupted notes, accompanied by a chattering 

 noise. This sort of courting lasted for several days. Soon after, the female took possession of a 

 hole in a wall close to my house, where she prepared a nest and deposited six eggs. The male 

 kept at a distance from the nest ; sometimes sang, but not so loud nor so frequently as at first, 

 and never when he approached the nest. When the eggs had been sat on a few days I caught 

 the female. The male did not miss his mate immediately, but on the next day he resumed his 

 vociferous calls, and his song became incessant for a week, when I discovered a second female; — 

 his note immediately changed, and all his actions as before described, returned. This experiment 

 has been repeated on the nightingale with the same result ; and a golden-crested wren, who never 

 found another mate, continued his song from the month of May till the latter end of August. On 

 the contrary, another of the same species, who took possession of a fir-tree in my garden, ceased 

 its notes as soon as the young were hatched." 



In some comments upon the above, Rennie expresses an opinion that birds sing most frequently 

 from joy and buoyancy of spirits, and not unfrequently in triumphant defiance of rivalry or attack. 

 He says: "I have a redbreast who will sing out whenever I snap my fingers at him, and the 

 sedge-bird sings when a stone is thrown into the bush where he may be." 



According to Syme, the song of birds may be divided into six distinct utterances: first, there 

 is the call-note of the mate in spring; second, the loud, clear, and fierce notes of defiance; third, 

 the soft, tender, full, melodious love-warble ; fourth, the notes of fear when danger approaches 

 the nest ; fifth, the note of alarm, or war-cry, when a bird of prey appears ; sixth, the note the 

 parent birds utter to their brood, and the chirp or note of the young. This latter he again di- 

 vides into two — that which the young birds utter while in the nest and that after they have left it. 

 And to these several utterances he adds the soft, murmuring kind of note which the male emits 

 while he is feeding the female on the nest, and also that uttered by her while receiving the food. 



