240 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of different imitations. This habit has not been accounted for 

 in my tables, and therefore the actual proportions of imitative to 

 unimitative phrases were less than those stated. Some of the 

 imitations were particularly interesting. I have heard Starlings 

 reproduce the sounds made by the woodman's axe ; and in two 

 instances the singer paused between each of these imitations, as 

 if to attain correctness of mimicry in point of time as well as in 

 tone. This was the more noticeable since the Starling rarely 

 pauses in the utterance of a phrase. A Sedge Warbler singing 

 at ten o'clock at night reproduced exactly the fast-fading cries of 

 a Chaffinch flying away. This warbler then repeated in succession 

 all the vehement alarm-cries which announce the arrival of 

 a hawk, and continued his song with the single "tell" cries with 

 which the male House Sparrow, watching as a sentinel, warns 

 his neighbourhood that the hawk is very near. Then these 

 sounds ceased. Suddenly the usual song of the Sedge Warbler 

 was resumed. The song of this bird was, in any event, evidence 

 of his acute memory ; but might it not have been an intentional 

 picture, in sound, of an incident of bird-life? I submit that 

 there are grounds for supposing the latter view to be correct ; 

 and if it should be so, may not all bird- song be to a variable 

 extent intended to suggest pleasing impressions of surroundings 

 to the objects of the song ? Human songs are full of suggestions 

 of surroundings, in which the sounds uttered by creatures are 

 often imitated in the names of those creatures; and in the 

 songs of birds we find an analogous reproduction of the notes 

 of surrounding animals. May not the purpose of this mimicry 

 be in both cases the same ? 



Conclusion. — From this paper, the following conclusions 

 may be drawn : — Bird-song originated in a cry produced by 

 bodily contortion. This cry was developed by use in times of 

 danger. It then became a warning-note that was elaborated 

 into a call-note. This note was repeated by males in varied tone 

 and pitch ; and several influences tended to make it a repro- 

 duction of surrounding persistent sounds. The call-notes were 

 repeated by the males to the females; and in this manner 

 arbitrary phrases were constructed. Further efforts on the part 

 of the males induced greater variety, which took the form of 

 imitation of other sounds. 



