A SINGING HESPEROMYS. 765 
difficult. It is certain that she was far more chary of its perfor- 
- mance; and to me its effect seemed more impressive. I have on 
account of its less frequency distinguished it as The Grand Role. 
This was seldom given, yet quite often enough to allow it to be 
written down. The second measure would be sung quite fast, 
sounding almost like the pecking of the woodpecker on the tree ; 
and at other times ft would be slow like the dropping of water. 
Although she had no ear for time, yet she would keep to the key 
of B (two flats), and strictly in a Major key. This fact I consid- 
ered interesting, as Wood declares his belief “that the untaught 
cries of all the lower animals, whether quadrupeds or birds, are in 
the Minor key.” Herein theory must yield to observation. If I 
might venture an opinion, it would be that the music of the really 
musical wild animals is oftener on a Major key; while the Minor 
key characterizes savage man. A remarkable fact in the above 
role is the scope of little Hespie’s musical powers. Her soft, clear 
voice falls an octave with all the precision possible; then at the 
wind-up, it rises again into a very quick trill on C sharp and D. 
Though it be at the risk of taxing belief, yet I must in duty 
record one of Hespie’s most remarkable performances. She was 
gambolling in the large compartment of her cage, in a mood indi- 
cating intense animal enjoyment, having woke from a long sleep, 
and partaken of some favorite food. She burst into a fulness of 
song very rich in its variety. While running and jumping, she 
rolled off what I have called her Grand Role, then sitting, she 
went over it again, ringing out the strangest diversity of changes, 
by an almost whimsical transposition of the bars; then without 
for an instant stopping the music, she leapt into the wheel, started 
it revolving at its highest speed, and went through the Wheel 
Song in exquisite style, giving several repetitions of it. After this 
she returned to the large compartment, took up again the Grand 
Role, and put into it some variations of execution which aston- 
ished me. One measure I remember was so silvery and soft, that 
I said to a lady who was listening, that a canary able to execute 
that would be worth a hundred dollars. I occasionally detected 
what I am utterly unable to explain, a literal dual sound, very like 
a boy whistling as he draws a stick along the pickets of a fence. 
So the music went on, as I listened, watch in hand, until actually 
nine minutes had elapsed. Now the wonderful fact is that the res 
between the roles was never much more than for a second of time ; 
