208 
NATURE NOTES. 
Mr. Witchell has taken great pains, and lays before us much 
that is of the greatest value. Whether all his statements and 
quotations are worth anything must be left to individual readers 
to decide. For ourselves we are far from satisfied with the 
following, for instance : “ The inferences deducible [p. 95] from 
their resemblance ” {i.e., the resemblance between a particular 
note of the starling and a cry uttered by the redwing when 
migrating) “ are strengthened by a physical analogy between 
the starling and the Tuviidcs, the fact that the young of the 
former are brown when first fledged.” “ The buntings {Km- 
berizida) appear to be allied to the pipits by their notes ; in some 
species by the possession of a rather long hind claw, and other 
features.” In this connection (p. 120) the author quotes from 
Yarrell the late Mr. Proctor’s observation that the snow bunt- 
ing will rise up in the air and sing sweetly, with wings and tail 
spread like a tree pipit. But surely this is not intended as a 
proof of the alliance of the buntings and the pipits ? The blue- 
throated warbler has the same habit for that matter. “ The 
buntings [p. 121] are, at any rate, much more allied by voice to 
the pipits than are the finches, which are often placed nearer to 
them.” “ The snow bunting [p. 124] sings like a pipit, and the 
plumage of this species is somewhat like that of the shore-lark.” 
Much as we appreciate The Evolution of Bird-Song we can- 
not help thinking that some of its theories are a little in danger 
of being overstrained. For instance, in chapter ix. the author, 
in treating of resemblances to sounds produced by the elements, 
writes : “ Many of the warbling birds, such as the black-cap, 
wren, robin, blackbird, thrush and willow-warbler, like to build 
their nests not far from water .... and in these situa- 
tions they are often within hearing of some boisterous, or musical 
little cataract, who.se persistent notes may fairly be expected to 
influence the future songs of nestlings reared in the neighbour- 
ing shade.” Now, if this were true, should we not find that the 
particular races of these birds nesting in western England, where 
the streams are musical, would sing a different song from the 
birds reared in the flat parts of England, where the waters are 
still and sluggish ? 
The bDok is well and clearly printed, and very pleasant to 
read in tnat respect. 
O. V. Ai’i.in. 
