Bird Music in South America. 157 
expressed by Huropean writers of the melodists of 
my country, and at the same time disclaimed any 
intention of attempting to describe their melody 
myself, comparing it with that of England. For- 
tunately for my purpose, not all the travellers in 
South America, whose words carry weight, have 
turned a deaf or unappreciative ear to the bird music 
of the great bird continent: there are notable ex- 
ceptions; from these I shall proceed to quote a few 
passages in support of my contention, beginning 
with Felix de Azara, acontemporary of Buffon, and 
concluding with the two most illustrious travellers 
of our own day who have visited South America— 
Wallace and Bates. . 
Of Darwin it need only be added that his words 
on the subject of the songs of birds are so few and 
of so little value that it is probable that this kind 
of natural melody gave him little or no pleasure. 
It is not unusual to meet with those who are abso- 
lutely indifferent to it, just as there are others who 
are not pleasurably moved by human music, vocal or 
instrumental. 
In Spain Azara had been familiar from childhood 
with the songsters of Europe, and in Paraguay and 
La Plata he paid great attention to the language of 
the species he describes. In his ever fresh Apun- 
tamientos he says, “They are mistaken who think 
there are not as many and as good songsters here as 
in Europe;” and in the introduction to the same 
work, referring to Buffon’s opinion concerning the 
inferiority of the American songsters, he writes: 
