2i 8 ANIMAL ARTISANS 



extraordinary instances ever known, both of the man's 

 skill and of the bird's intense and unsuspecting reliance 

 on language, occurred not long ago on the Norfolk 

 coast, where a noted " caller " brought a golden plover 

 down from a great height in the sky, and kept it 

 running about within a few yards of a party lunching 

 in the sand-hills. In this fowler's opinion, the peewit, 

 which has the largest range of notes of all shore- 

 birds, and therefore is presumably the cleverest at 

 distinguishing the meaning and differences of the 

 peewit language, is also the most difficult to " call." 

 Most, if not all, of the songs of birds are meant 

 as music, to appeal to the emotions, and not as a 

 means of communication. Their " talk " is sepa- 

 rate from their song; though the English robin, 

 perhaps the only wild bird which habitually " con- 

 verses " with mankind, seems to combine the two to 

 some extent. None of the game-birds or of the galli- 

 naceous birds, wild or tame, have a song ; but the 

 greater number communicate with each other vocally. 

 Among fowls the sound meaning " Here is some-- 

 thing nice to eat " is used by both sexes ; and these 

 are the only birds which have a distinct and uni- 

 versally recognised call with this meaning. Charles 

 Kingsley, only half in earnest, ascribes a similar call 

 to the hen-grouse ; but pheasants have only one note 

 when calling their young, which is used indifferently 

 on all occasions. Partridges " cluck " to call their 

 chicks as a hen does, but lack the "food" word. 

 Chickens also have a distinct and peculiar call which 

 means " a hawk." Hawks are now so scarce near 



