WOOD NOTES WILD. 43 
each piping away in a key of his own. Heedless of 
pitch, striking in just as it happens, this independent 
little songster sometimes finds himself at the top of his 
voice and at a height of sound rarely reached by any 
other bird. The whistling quality of the white-throat’s 
voice and his deliberate method make his song very dis- 
tinct and distinctive. The responsive singing of several 
performers in the still woods (and out of them some- 
times), continually introducing new keys, affords a 
unique entertainment. 
The form of the song already given is undoubtedly 
the true one, but I once heard the following variation : — 
When the season is well advanced, the singers, seem- 
ingly grown weary of their song, begin to shorten it. 
At first they omit the last triplets; further on they 
drop the second group, then the first group, then the 
third long note, till finally only the first two long notes 
remain. There is a touch of the comic in this farewell 
performance, as though the singer said, “There, you know 
the rest.” 
prea pee ee f weet as: 
fs m7 a i t ot Cc t coy 
CAB t H 
8vuae 8 8va. — a 8va. 
