42 ON THE NOTES OF BIRDS. 
of the Sedge-Warbler is wonderfully varied, and 
appears to be chiefly composed of passages borrowed 
from the songs of the Sky-Lark, Titlark, Whitethroat, 
Whinchat, Lesser Redpole, Swallow, &c. Now if any 
bird is entitled to the epithet of mocker, surely it is 
this ; yet these resemblances are common to the songs 
of the whole species, which inhabits situations very 
unsuitable for acquiring some of them. In short, 
these fancied imitations are not studied, but purely 
accidental, consisting of their own notes ab initio. 
The singing of birds has been very generally attri- 
buted to the passion of love, and a desire of pleasing 
their mates. 
«Tis love creates their melody, and all 
This waste of music is the voice of love ; 
That even to birds and beasts the tender arts 
Of pleasing teaches” *. 
Thus the great poet of nature elegantly expresses the 
idea. This opinion, however, does not appear to be 
well founded ; their language of love, their amorous 
strains, consist of low, intermitted tones, accompanied 
with ludicrous gesticulations, and are altogether dif- 
ferent from their ordinary songs, which seem to be 
occasioned by an exuberance of animal spirits, arising 
from an abundance of nourishing food and an in- 
crease of temperature, and by a spirit of emulation 
and rivalry among the males. In confirmation of 
* Thomson’s ‘Seasons,’ ‘ Spring.” 
