1 62 Summer Studies of Birds and Books chap, vi 



well be placed first for some special gift of tone or 

 expression. The Blackbird is unrivalled in beauty 

 of tone, but he has never learnt to use his instru- 

 ment with perfect finish ; he seems to be constantly 

 practising, as I have always fancied, and as Mr. 

 Burroughs too remarked when he first made acquaint- 

 ance with our English birds ; but perhaps we love 

 him all the better because those native woodnotes 

 are so artless. The Song-thrush is a finer artist — a 

 brave and spirited performer on an instrument of 

 noble quality. And the Eobin, with his peculiar 

 tender pathos — so at least it seems to us, — ^is also the 

 great master of variety; listen to him intently for 

 a quarter of an hour, and you shall hardly hear 

 the same phrase twice over. With these one other 

 common bird deserves to be classed — that gentle and 

 graceful Tree-pipit of whose song I never tire ; and 

 then we have a dozen others to all of whom we may 

 be duly grateful, though none of them, in force, in 

 richness of tone, or in profuseness and variety of 

 strain, can altogether rival those I have selected as 

 being in my judgment the true kings of song. 



