..^^ THE MAINE )^,^. 



Ornithologist and Oologist, 



VOL.11 



GARLAND.Mt:. APR, 1891 



NO II 



An Easy Method of Ree(jrd- 

 ing Bird Songs. 



Until I was requested by the editor 

 oHhid paper to write out my shorthand 

 method of reoordiog bird songs I had 

 always supposed it was a simple expe- 

 dient to which 3very one had access. 



J^'inceit is not 1 will endeavor to ex- 

 plain as concisely and clearly as possi- 

 ble. 



Ou hearing a song at once express it 

 as well as possible by me<*.ns of letters, 

 after which place small circles for clear 

 full notes, and dots f>r those of less value 

 iu such a way as v.ill best give the rela- 

 tive value ot the note. This can best be 

 uoderstood by a specious example. 



S-ippose it is the twelth of May, and 



you are standing in a })a'tly inundated 



swamp densely ovcshadowed by trees. 



In the low hushes ahead a Bay breasted 



Warbler jippears and, balancing on a 



twig, utters his Rung. This sounds very 



much lihe the ^ylIables Who-ha-h- 



Whe-o-who-v:he. So far so good buton 



reaching home you miiv have forgotten 



whether ihe notes were clear, whether 



<luick or slow, or al)ove all the ''tun*'.' ot 



he song. On the spot whiUi the per- 



ormer is yet with you it is at om^e ween 



that the entire son;: consists of clear 



whistles ; titree ascending, two descend- 

 ing in reverse order and covering the 

 Simie pitch as the first three, and two 

 iiscending. Between each set there is 

 a pause. All this is awkward and un- 

 satisfactory and gives but a faint idea 

 of the meaning. In short hand it would 

 be thus ; 



« 



% 



Now if the reader, beginning rather 

 low, will whistle the notes shown above, 

 bearing in mind the syllables given, be" 

 fore, he will have a very fair idea of the 

 song of the Bay breasted Warbler. 



Below are a few of the more easy ex- 

 amples of this method. 



Yellow Warhler, * 



# 



# m m 



White-ihroated s^'^'^- 



Sparrow 



BVk-throafed 

 Blue Warbler, * • «— ^ 



Cave May sh.i! ^ ^ ^ 



Warbler, * * * 



In the case of more complicated songy 



the process is more diflicult, but it has 



always answer«^d my purpose very well. 



I have used it more as a basis from 

 which to describe tlie song at lenf^th 

 after reaching home than as a perma- 

 nent foim. 



Stkwart White, Grand Rapids, Mich 



