OF SELBORNE 143 



in B flat. He will examine the nightingales next 

 spring. 



I am, etc., etc. 



LETTER X 



Selborne, Aug. 1, 1771. 



Dear Sir, 



From what follows, it will appear that neither owls nor 

 cuckoos keep to one note. A friend remarks that many 

 (most) of his owls hoot in B flat : but that one went 

 almost half a note below A. The pipe he tried their 

 notes by was a common half-crown pitch-pipe, such as 

 masters use for tuning of harpsichords ; it was the 

 common London pitch. 



A neighbour of mine, who is said to have a nice ear, 

 remarks that the owls about this village hoot in three 

 different keys, in G flat, or F sharp, in B flat and A 

 flat. He heard two hooting to each other, the one 

 in A flat, and the other in B flat. Query : Do these 

 different notes proceed from different species, or only 

 from various individuals ? The same person finds upon 

 trial that the note of the cuckoo (of which we have but 

 one species) varies in different individuals ; for, about 

 Selborne wood, he found they were mostly in D : he 

 heard two sing together, the one in D, the other in D 

 sharp, who made a disagreeable concert : he afterwards 

 heard one in D sharp, and about Wolmer-forest some 

 in C. As to nightingales, he says that their notes are so 

 short, and their transitions so rapid, that he cannot well 

 ascertain their key. Perhaps in a cage, and in a room, 

 their notes may be more distinguishable. This person 



