THE BIRDS OF 8 ARK. 417 



round their breeding haunts ; on the 13th, Razorbills appeared, 

 and on the 17th Guillemots. 



I was again struck by the excessive variation in the notes 

 and songs of certain species as compared with my own county — 

 "Worcestershire. This variation I have previously alluded to 

 in these pages. I thought, however, it would be as well to 

 endeavour if possible to determine wherein the exact difference 

 lay — -whether in the pitch or arrangement of the song, or both. 

 This was difficult, as to achieve such a result it was necessary to 

 carry in one's mind the exact representation of the song as sung 

 elsewhere. I found that the arrangement of the song — by 

 arrangement I mean the order in which the various trills and 

 single notes are placed, for it will be noticed that the song of 

 most birds is composed of various little " snatches," each one of 

 which practically constitutes a song in itself — differed to a great 

 extent from the same song in Worcestershire, and when first 

 heard appeared to differ in toto. I will take two examples, and 

 by comparing the arrangement of the song of these two examples 

 as sung in Worcestershire and Sark, will endeavour to point out 

 the difference as it appeared to me. The two examples are the 

 Great Tit and the Wren, and I take these because in them 

 the variations were most striking, and, therefore, more easily 

 defined. 



The song of the Great Tit in Worcestershire consists, as a 

 rule, of two notes, the one uttered last a full note higher than 

 the first. In Sark it was very different, the first note often being 

 uttered three, four, or more times, and the last note once ; 

 occasionally the first note was uttered alone, repeatedly, for 

 some time. 



The song of the Wren in Sark differed from other Wrens 

 more than the preceding example differs from its respective 

 species, and is more difficult to explain. The song is shorter, 

 and certain parts usually found in the song of the Wren are 

 altogether absent. 



The whole subject of bird song is one of which we are 

 profoundly ignorant. How few of those who profess to be 

 ornithologists are able to distinguish different notes ! One would 

 think that what is known as a " good ear " is a sine qua non, but 

 this I cannot believe, having frequently noticed that those who 

 Zool. 4th ner. vol. VI., November, 1902. 2 k 



