ON THE SINGING OF BIRDS. 329 



sage, he commonly raises his tone, which he 

 drops again when he is not equal to what he is 

 attempting ; just as a singer raises his voice, 

 when he not only recollects certain parts of a 

 tune with precision, but knows that he can 

 execute them. 



What the nestling is not thus thoroughly 

 master of, he hurries over, lowering his tone, 

 as if he did not wish to be heard, and could not 

 yet satisfy himself. 



I have never happened to meet with a pas- 

 sage in any writer, which seems to relate to this 

 stage of singing in a bird, except, perhaps, in 

 the following lines of /5Vf///zw ; '''y ■ 



is 

 " Nunc volucrum novl 



** Questus, incxpertuinque carmen, 



" Quod tacita statuere bruma." ' ' 



Siai. Sylv. L. IV. Eel. 5. 



A young bird commonly continues to record 

 for ten or eleven months, when he is able to exe- 

 cute every part of his song, which afterwards 

 continues fixed, and is scarcely ever altered.* 



When the bird is thus become perfect in his 



• The bird called a Twite (See vol. i. p. 467.) by the bird- 

 catchers commordy flies in company with linnets, yet these two 

 species of birds never learn each other's notes, which always 

 continue totally different. • ■ 



