ON THE SINGING OF BIRDS. 
“them, and every one a note higher than 
** another.” 
Ligon appears, from other parts of his work, 
to have been musical; but I should doubt 
much whether he was quite sure of these 
quarter intervals, so as to speak of them with 
precision. 
Some passages of the song in a few kinds of 
birds correspond with the intervals of our mu- 
sical scale (of which the cuckow is a striking 
and known instance): much the greater part, 
however, of such song is not capable of musical 
notations. 
This arises from three causes: the first is, 
that the rapidity is often so great, and it is also 
so uncertain when they may stop, that we can- 
not reduce the passages to form a musical bar, 
im any time whatsoever. 
The second is, that the pitch of most birds is 
considerably higher* than the most shrill notes 
ie, 
* Dr. Wallis is mistaken in part of what he supposes to be 
the cause of shrillness in the voice, ‘‘ Nam ut tubus, sic. tra- 
*© chea longior, & strictior, sonum efficit magis acutum.” 
Grammar, p. 3. 
The narrower the pipe is, the more sharp the pitch, as he 
rightly observes ; -but the length of the tube hath just the con- 
trary effect, because players on the flute always insert a longer 
middle-piece, when they want to make the instrument more flat. 
* 
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