STUDY OF BIRD LIFE 2 1 



>ong birds and most of those which have been denied this gift 

 is that the former, although always singing in a minor key, yet 

 modulate their voice sufficiently to make the song varied; while 

 the latter usually have little range to their voice, and repeat the 

 same unmusical note over and over again. It must be admitted, 

 however, that a number of non-musical birds have remarkable 

 power of voice expression. Who that has listened to Crows or 

 Flicker-, or certain other species will not say that they can van' 

 their voices almost indefinitely] 1 So in dividing birds into those 

 which sing, and those which do not, the liquid quality of the notes, 

 rather than the gift of variati< differentiate the two 



classes. 



I shall now attempt to describe, somewhat in detail, the 

 qualities of bird utterance, dividing the subject into call-notes, 

 songs, and unmusical notes. My purpose is to note such difference > 

 as will account for the classification of birds as either musical or 

 non-musical. The two elements, as hitherto stated that will enter 

 mostly into the discussion are variation and quality of toi 

 I shall also essay to outline what may be called the philosophy of 

 bird utterance. This will consist in an ana". :he note 



birds, not only in relation to the quality and variety of their ut 

 ance, but also the motive or stimulus that is the source of the sounds 

 to which birds give expression. In treating this aspect of my 

 subject, I realize that my knowledge is too fragmentary to offer 

 more than mere suggestions or conjecture-. 



Any one who has studied bird life long and carefully must 

 have often wondered why birds have such a great variety of u1 

 ances. Broadly, these utterances may be divided into two kin 

 songs and call-notes. Usually the latter are not musical, and 

 this is probably the chief reason for distinguishing them from 

 songs. However, in some species there. is no melodious quality 

 either in the call-note or the song. On the other hand, a few sp 

 have no call-note that is not musical. 



Another interesting thing to the lover of bird- is the impulse 

 that causes them to utter their notes. Does a bird sing because it 

 feels joyous? All utterance whether rational or otherwise is, I 

 think, the expression of an inward feeling, either of pleasure or 

 pain. If this is true, then the songs of birds must, from their 

 pleasantness, testify to a sensation of pleasure. And when the 

 observer hears a song repeated continuously thr 



