l66 the SINGING of BIRDS. 
pafiage, he commonly raifes his tone, which 
he drops again when he is not equal to what 
he is attempting ; juft as a finger raifes his 
voice, when he not oniy recollects certain parts 
of a tune with precifion, but knows that he can 
execute them. 
What the neftling is not thus thoroughly 
inafter of, he hurries over, lowering his tone, 
as if he did not with to be heard> and could not 
yet fatisfy himfelf. 
I have never happened to meet with a paf. 
fage in any writer which feems to relate to this 
fiage of finging in a bird, except, perhaps, m 
the following lines of Statius : 
Nunc vc I Lie rum novi 
^uejius, inexpertumque carmen * 
Quod tacit 4 Jlatuere hr Lima. 
Stat. Sylv. L. iv. Eel. 
A young bird commonly continues to record 
for ten or eleven months, when he is able to 
execute every part of his long, which after- 
wards continues fixed, and is fcarcely ever al- 
tered. 
When the bird is thus become perfect in his 
lefibn, he is faid to fing his fong round, or in 
all its varieties of pafiages, which he conncfls 
together, and executes without a paufe. 
I would therefore define a bird’s fong to be 
a luccelhon of three or more different notes. 
