ON THE SINGING OF BIRDS. 331 



I shall now proceed to state some general prin- 

 ciples with regard to the singing of birds, which 

 seem to result from the experiments I have 

 been making for several years, and under a 

 great variety of circumstances. 



Notes in birds are no more innate, than lan- 

 guage is in man, and depend entirely upon the 

 master under which they are bred, as far as 

 their organs will enable them to imitate the 

 sounds which they have frequent opportunities 

 of hearing. 



Most of the experiments I have made on this 

 subject have been tried with cock linnets, which 

 were fledged and nearly able to leave their nest, 

 on account not only of this bird's docility, and 

 great powers of imitation, but because the cock 

 is easily distinguished from the hen at that 

 €arly period, by the superior whiteness in the 

 wing.* 



„j, In many other sorts of singing birds the male 

 is not at the age of three weeks so certainly • - 



known from the female ; and if the pupil turns 

 out to be a hen, 



" ibiomnis'Orr bib ,t070 jd ■ . 



" Eifusus labor." 



* The white reaches alniost to the shaft of the quil feathers, 

 and in the hen does not exceed more than half of that space : it 

 is also of a bfishter hue. " , 



