April, 1903.] 
The Song of the Fox Sparrow. 
41 1 
THE SONG OF THE FOX SPARROW. 
Theodore Clarke Smith. 
The study of the song of the fox sparrow is a highly tantaliz- 
ing pursuit owing to the bird’s brief stay, provoking habits of 
silence and reluctance to sing in full voice. In three years, tak- 
ing into account the fall as well as the spring migrations, I have 
heard them sing scarcely a dozen times, although I have never 
failed to see them in considerable numbers. Nevertheless, the 
impression produced by these few occasions is such as to place the 
fox sparrow among the first vocalists of his family. 
The song form commonly heard may be represented by the 
following : 
This notation is not ventured with any assurance of perfection 
for the song is so rapid, so syncopated in its tempo and the tone 
so sliding and lacking in precision that its reproduction is attended 
with great difficulties. The matter of pitch presents an insoluble 
problem. The fox sparrow’s pitch is entirely free ; he does not 
sing in the conventional human scale but employs intervals of 
other dimensions than our whole and half tones, which can not 
be represented on our musical staff. In trying to reproduce the 
song there has to be continual slight adjustment and rectification, 
so that the result is at best only an approximation to the real 
sounds, more regular and mechanical, less bird-like. 
Under these considerable limitations the notes above given may 
be taken to suggest the song form of the fox sparrow, a theme 
from which different birds vary a good deal without however 
departing from the general scheme. The accented high notes in 
the fourth bar ( A ) seem to be the musical kernel of the song, for 
the} - remain substantially unaltered with different individuals 
however much the introductory or concluding bars may diverge. 
