BIRDS AT THEIR BEST 31 



wild bird ; but I do not know. This leaves 215, 

 every one of which I can mentally see as distinctly 

 as I see in my mind the common species I am 

 accustomed to look at every day in England — 

 thrush, starling, robin, etc. 



A different story has to be told with regard 

 to the language. To begin with, there are no 

 fewer than 34 species of which no sound-impres- 

 sions were received. These include the habitu- 

 ally silent kinds — the stork, which rattles its beak 

 but makes no vocal sound, the painted snipe, 

 the wood ibis, and a few more ; species which 

 were rarely seen and emitted no sound — condor, 

 Muscovy duck, harpy eagle, and others; species 

 which were known only as winter visitants, or 

 seen on migration, and which at such seasons 

 were invariably silent. 



Thus, those which were heard number 192. 

 Of these the language of 7 species has been 

 completely forgotten, and of 31 the sound im- 

 pressions have now become indistinct in varying 

 degrees. Deducting those whose notes have 

 become silent and are not clearly heard in the 

 mind, there remain 154 species which are 

 distinctly remembered. That is to say, when 



