62 
BIRDS IN A VILLAGE. 
and ceased to be audible at a distance of about one 
hundred yards from the points where it had 
sounded loudest. The birds hid in clumps of furze 
and bramble so near together that the area covered 
by the buzzing sound measured about two hundred 
yards across. This most singular sound (for a 
warbler to make) is certainly not ventriloquial, 
althouo'h, if one comes to it with the sense of 
hearing disorganized by town noises or unpractised, 
one is at a loss to determine the exact spot it comes 
from, or even to know from which side it comes. 
While emitting its prolonged sound the bird is so 
absorbed in its own performance that it is not 
easily alarmed, and will sometimes continue singing 
with a human listener standing within four or five 
yards of it. When one is near the bird, and listens, 
standing motionless, the effect on the nerves of 
hearing is very remarkable, considering the small- 
ness of the sound, which, without being unpleasant, 
is somewhat similar to that produced by the vibra- 
tions of the brake of a train ; it is not powerful 
enough to jar the nerves, but appears to pervade 
the entire system. Lying still, with eyes closed, 
and three or four of these birds singing near, so that 
their strains overlap and leave no silent intervals, 
the listener can imagine that the sound originates 
within himself, that the numberless fine cords of 
his nervous network tremble responsively to it. 
