130 BIRDS AND MAN 



on account of the leisurely manner in which the 

 blackbird gives out his notes, the resemblance to 

 human speech is not so pronounced as in the case 

 of the willow wren or swallow ; but when two or 

 three or half-a-dozen blackbirds are heard singing 

 close together, as we sometimes hear them in 

 woods and orchards where they are abundant, 

 the effect is singularly beautiful, and gives the 

 idea of a conversation being carried on by a set of 

 human beings of arboreal habits (not monkeys) 

 with glorified voices. Listening to these black- 

 bird concerts, I have sometimes wondered whether 

 or not they produced the same effect on others' 

 ears as on mine — of people talking to one another 

 in high-pitched and very beautiful tones. Oddly 

 enough, it was only while writing this chapter 

 that I by chance found an affirmative answer to 

 my question. Glancing through Leshe's River- 

 side Letters, which I had not previously seen, I 

 came upon the following remarks, quoted from 

 Sir George Grove, in a letter to the author, on 

 the blackbird's singing : " He selects a spot where 

 he is within hearing of a comrade, and then he 

 begins quite at leisure (not all in a hurry hike 

 the thrush) a regular conversation. 'And how 



