1894
March 26    
(No 2)  
Trinidad, B.W.I.
Caparo                                                                                           
clear light and the air was perfectly still. I used my
pencil and note book freely and now transcribe the results as follows:
  The Bell Bird has three distinct notes, the first bok,                          
the second [underlined] tue [/underlined], the third tang.
[margin]Song and
notes of the
Bell Bird.[/margin]
  The bok is probably a call-note*. It is uttered with great 
 irregularity, sometimes habitually - at intervals
of about ten seconds, sometimes every second or half second
five or six times in succession. At a distance of four or
five hundred yards it resembles the stroke of an axe on
hard, resonant wood and be very misleading for although
it is not difficult to judge correctly the direction from
which it comes a novice would be certainly deceived
as to the distance and would suppose [delete]judge[/delete] the bird to be
only fifty yards or so away. Indeed as one follows on
in the direction of the sound the impression which to
tree to tree and keeping ahead of him. This
impression, however, is dispelled after he comes within
100 yards or so for the sound then becomes louder and
louder until when the listener gets directly beneath
the tree it is simply tremendous in volume. It now
has a slightly rolling quality (br-r-ock) and is so
abrupt and explosive in character that it is nearly
as startling as the report of a gun. I have never
heard any bird note which at near range sounded
anything like so loud yet it apparently does not
carry so well as the croak of the Toucan which
can be heard fully as far away although it is not
a very loud call when one is directly under the
tree on which the Toucan is sitting.
[margin]*This was a pure assumption at the
time and I am now inclined to doubt
its correctness although I was forced to
leave Trinidad without settling the question.
Albert Carr & his brother Arthur were disposed
to think that the bok is uttered only by the male.[/margin]