413 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



THE AUTUMN SONG OF BIRDS. 

 By O. V. Aplin, F.L.S., M.B.O.U. 



Mr. Charles A. Witchell, in a communication in the 

 August number (p. 358) referring to a paper by me on " The 

 Autumn Song of Birds" (' Zoologist,' 1894, p. 411), states that I 

 classed the Robin and Starling with the Thrush and Hedgesparrow 

 as commencing to sing in November, or even in October; and Mr. 

 Witchell adds : "But the two former birds begin their autumn 

 song (if such it be) in August, or earlier." This only presents a 

 part of my meaning, and, I think, misrepresents that. What I 

 really said, as anyone who reads my paper should see, was that the 

 song which the Robin and Starling began to sing in November, 

 or even in October, was "not an autumn song, properly so called. 

 It is the beginning of their ordinary song, which they will con- 

 tinue through the following spring." And on page 411 I stated 

 that " The Robin's autumn song is of course familiar to every- 

 body." This last is the song which is heard at the beginning of 

 August or the end of July. 



Since writing my paper, I have twice heard the Blackbird 

 singing in autumn, viz. on Sept. 1st, 1895, and Nov. 22nd, 1896; 

 and probably on both occasions it was singing the autumn song 

 properly so called. On the second occasion a bird sang for some 

 time just before sunset (it was a very mild day); the notes were 

 rather poor, but numerous; perhaps the singer was an early- 

 hatched bird of the year. A correspondent has sent me notes of 

 a Blackbird singing on October 19th and 20th and December 

 28th. But I feel sure that these four are only very exceptional 

 cases. The same correspondent sent me a note of Blackcaps 

 singing in a very low and subdued tone on September 5th and 

 8th ; and I may add that in the first days of August this year I 

 heard, at close quarters, a Blackcap singing a few notes in an 

 undertone in the intervals of eating my fruit. But these feeble 

 attempts cannot be compared with the autumn song uttered by 

 some other birds. 



