126 MAGNOLIA WARBLER 



with decided emphasis on the antepenult weet or witch. The other 

 song has the same general character, and begins with nearly the same 

 notes, but instead of ending with the sprightly, high-pitched weetee- 

 eef, it falls off in a single perfunctory-sounding though emphatic 

 note, of lower tone than the rest. In syllables it is like Witti witti 

 wet" — or weetee weetee wiir. This duller song seems much less 

 subject to variation than the sprightly one. Some of the aberrant 

 songs, though, are as near to one type as another. One such variant I 

 have fixed in my own recollection by the syllables Ter-whis wee-it; 

 and another, almost unrecognizable, by the syllables Wee-yer wee- 

 yer wee-yer. Still another beginning like Weechi weech, ended 

 with a hurried confusion of small notes, some low, some high. 

 But throughout these and all the many other surprising variations I 

 have heard about Monadnock, the characteristic tone-quality was 

 preserved unchanged, and so were certain minor tricks, scarcely 

 describable, of emphasis and phrasing. The tone is much like the 

 Yellow Warbler's and also the Chestnut-side's, though distinctly differ- 

 ent from either. In loudness it averages lower than the Yellow's, and 

 about equal to the Chestnut-side's. In addition to several barely 

 characteristic 'chips' the Magnolia has a most peculiar call-note. 

 It is soft, almost song-toned, with a slight metallic ring, and 

 at the same time sounds lisped; — tlep, tlep, reminding one of certain 

 notes both of the American Siskin and (as Dr. G. M. Allen says) of 

 Henslow's Sparrow." (Thayer, MS.) 



Miss Paddock gives four variations of the Magnolia's song, and 

 writes : 



"The song usually ends with the falling inflection. It may always 

 do so when the two records ending on the high note were where I failed 

 to catch the very last note." 



:52f: 



i 



"This last preceded by three or four 'chips' like the chatter of the 

 Chickadee." 



