STUDY OF BIRD LIFE 25 



in which its notes somewhat resemble those of the Canary — the 

 Goldfinch often introduces its call-note — not at all to the detriment 

 of the song. When many Goldfinches sing together in the tree- 

 tops, the effect of the song is most pleasing; and perhaps a feature 

 of the singing that adds rather than detracts, from the total effect 

 of the song is the fact that the birds lack loudness in their 

 utterance. 



My rather ambitious attempt to give a philosophy of bird 

 utterance may have led the reader to expect something more 

 satisfying than I have been able to offer. Still I hope I have put 

 down my ideas clearly, and that they are not altogether common- 

 place. Ten years of daily observation have revealed many interest- 

 ing facts about the notes of our birds, and if I have not done better 

 in my attempted analysis of their utterance, it is, I think, mainly 

 due to lapses of memory. Unless the observer takes copious notes 

 when out-of-doors, he will surely omit much in any effort to describe 

 in detail the almost endless variation, at different seasons of the 

 year, of the utterance of our birds. Hence the thoughts I have set 

 down are more or less of a tentative character which longer exper- 

 ence, and greater efforts to secure the most complete knowledge 

 attainable, may materially modify. 



This paper has already grown to a great length; and lest a 

 bird lover's enthusiasm lead me to trespass further on the patience 

 of my readers, I shall end with a brief summary of my subject. 

 It has been my purpose to outline my method of studying ornith- 

 ology, and to indicate roughly the results of eleven years of daily 

 observation of bird life. I realize that in my attempt to set down 

 in a general way the various aspects of bird life, I have not main- 

 tained a unity of plan that the thoughtful reader would expect to 

 find. I may remind him, however, that in an article that purports 

 merely to introduce the subject, variety rather than unity, 

 will be most in evidence. The longest part of the present article 

 has dealt with the notes of birds, because both the writer and the 

 general reader are probably most interested in the songs of birds. 

 I may be pardoned, I am sure, if I venture, as a bird lover, to hope 

 that what I have written will awaken a little more interest and even 

 some enthusiasm in a branch of natural history that is steadily 

 gaining in importance both in school carricula and in nature lover's 

 clubs. It is certain that the next generation will not be indifferent 

 to the varied and abundant bird life of our woods and fields. 



