Gyngell : The Singing Thne of Birds. 



141 



(2) The call of intimidation — ' Get away ' -or ' That is my 



worm.' The Kittiwake Gull really does say, * Get 

 away.' 



(3) The much stronger cry, meaning- ' Let me alone,' 



when one bird interferes with another. 



(4) A still stronger shriek, used by small birds when 



trying to drive away a Cat or Hawk. 



(5) The call of welcome when others of the same species 



join a party. 



(6) The half-timid, faint call which seems to say, * Is it 



safe to feed here ? ' 



(7) The amorous call only used by the male at breeding 



time. 



(8) The responsive cry of the hen bird at this time. 



(9) The full song embracing a variety of notes often sung 



by the male at his mate. At such time the cock 

 bird often works himself into a perfect frenzy 

 whilst the female usually stands by quite indifferent 

 to what he is doing. 



(10) The peeping cry of the young bird before it comes 



out of the egg. 



(11) The call of the young when waiting in the nest for 



parents to return with food, especially noticeable 

 in young starlings. 



(12) The still louder call of the young whilst being fed, 



which seems to say, ' Oh ! dont forget ine.^ 



(13) The call of parent bird to gather the chicks together 



when able to run, as in the common fowl, or, 

 possibly, to make them stampede and hide, as the 

 Pheasant seems to do. 

 Mr. E. Kay Robinson recently gave a list'" of 21 different 

 forms of bird language. 



Some birds seem to talk quietly to themselves, and as an 

 example may be mentioned the Tree Creeper, which keeps up 

 a continuous faint sound like ' tick-tick-tick-tick ' whilst running 

 up a tree. 



Many birds of the Plover family (such as the Lapwing) seem 

 to resent the presence of man on what the birds regard as their 

 domain, shouting at and bullying him whenever he comes near, 

 especially, but not only, in the nesting season. 



And then, when on migration at night, in the autumn or 

 spring, birds mistify ornithologists by calling to each other in 

 * Field Naturalists' Quarterl}', 1903, p. 100. 



1995 rMay :i. 



