H. W. MAPLETON: SONG OF WOOD-WARBLER. 227 



the prelude of its ordinary song, and then stop, and start 

 afresh on the second. 



On May 31st I listened to another bird. This individual 

 differed from the two preceding ones to a certain extent, 

 as it mixed up the two songs occasionally. It was not 

 in very full voice. During the time I stood listening it 

 never sang song No. 2 properly. Several times it sang four 

 syllables of this song, ending up with three notes of the 

 prelude of No. 1, and once, without a break, it began 

 with these four syllables, and ended up with No. 1 in full. 

 But I failed to hear it sing more than four syllables of 

 No. 2 at any time. 



On June 7th I found a bird singing regularly, but not 

 very fully. This one very seldom made use of song No. 2. 

 Once it started on it and ran into the regular song (No. 1) 

 without a break. I never heard it sing more than four 

 syllables of song No. 2. 



On June 19th I found a fifth bird in full song, and 

 watched it carefully for 45 minutes, during which time 

 it never moved far away, and never ceased singing. My 

 notes on this occasion corroborated those I took in the 

 first two cases. This bird differed slightly in one respect, 

 as two or three times it sung the prelude to song No. 1 

 without the trill. In this individual the number of 

 syllables in song No. 2 varied from 7-11 — the average 

 number being 8 — and it mixed the two songs three times 

 during the period that I had it under observation. 



It would seem that when the Wood- Warbler is singing 

 well, the number of syllables in its second song varies 

 from 7-12. As regards the musical interval of this song, 

 F sharp to E fiat would represent a minor third ; and I 

 think that this interval in the song is approximately 

 correct, though I cannot boast a musician's trained ear. 

 When we consider that the double call of the Cuckoo 

 constitutes an interval of a minor third, and that the 

 ten-syllabled song of the Wood- Warbler (which is gradually 

 falling in tone all through) represents an interval little, 

 if at all, larger, it is easy to see that our diatonic scale 

 is not well suited for gauging the musical intervals of the 

 songs of birds. 



