THE AUTUMN SONG OF BIBDS. 859 



the call-note (and even of the distress-note) in its morning 

 songs in August (and see " Bird-Songs in Summer," in ' Know- 

 ledge,' July, 1897), and that the Starling at the same period 

 rarely utters its love-call in song ('Evolution of Bird-Song,' 

 p. 53). The Robin's song is often employed before combat 

 (op. cit. p. 38). 



If an autumn singer makes much use of its call-note, we 

 may infer that the song has an exotic origin, but when the call 

 is not used (as in the Starling) it is difficult to see why we 

 should not credit the singer with a sense of pleasure in his 

 surroundings expressed in song ; and this is the more reasonable 

 since so many birds have a strong local attachment. 



2 c 2 



