140 NOTES. 



human voice when singing ; and we can no more represent a bird's song in 

 musical notation, than the inflections of Mr. Griadstone's voice when 

 delivering one of his great speeches. The human voice when speaking is 

 musically much freer than when singing ; it is not tied down to tones and 

 semitones. 



If we remember that there are in our scale only twelve notes to the 

 octave, and that between each of these an infinite number of sounds are 

 possible, we shall get an idea of the endless variety which is open to the 

 birds, and also, but in a less degree, to the human speaiking voice. 



Some birds, however, occasionally touch notes of our scale, and sometimes, 

 though rarely, two in succession. The Cuckoo, as has often been noticed, 

 sings a major or a minor third when it first arrives ; not that the interval 

 is always exact. The Thrush may now and then repeat two or three 

 notes many times over, which almost, if not quite, answer to notes in our 

 scale, usually from C to i' of our treble stave. The Nightingale's crescendo 

 is a good instance of a single definite note ; the song of the Chiff-chaff is 

 perfectly plain and unvaried, but its two notes have never corresponded, 

 when I have tested them, to an interval of our scale. The Yellow-hanmier's 

 curious song, which I examined carefully, may certainly be given in 

 musical notation as keeping to a single note (often C or C sharp), but 

 in the concluding note of the song it is almost impossible to represent, for 

 the pitch of the original note is raised or lowered by an interval varying 

 from a minor third to less than a semitone. It is to be noted that in 

 this species different individuals (according to my observation) have 

 different modifications of the song, though these are slight enough ; I think 

 I have noticed the same in the case of the Chaffinch. I have a note, made 

 while travelling in Belgium, to the effect that the Chaffinches there did not 

 seem to sing precisely the same song as ours in England. On the other hand, 

 some observations which I made last year on the Chiff-chaff's two notes 

 in different localities led me to believe that the various birds were all 

 singing at about the same pitch and in much the same manner. 



There are many other interesting points connected with birds' songs, e. g. 

 the mechanism of the music ; the song as a language ; the entire absence . 

 of song in many birds, some of which, as the Crow, are among the most 

 highly developed and intelligent ; and the causes which operate in inducing 

 song. It would be well if some well qualified naturalist would investigate 



