478 
SONG OF BIRDS. 
the throat than the hard-billed-species. This, together with the greater 
width of the larynx of the nighting-ale and other soft -billed warblers, 
fully accounts for their soft, round, mellow notes, compared with the 
shrill, sharp, and clear notes of the canary and other hard-billed song- 
sters, In a comprehensive sense, the complete song of birds includes 
all the notes they are capable of uttering ; and, taken in this sense, it is 
analogous to the speech of man. It is the vehicle through which these 
little creatures communicate and convey to each other their mutual 
wishes and their wants. It may be divided into six distinct separate 
sounds or parts, each of which is very expressive, even to us, of the 
feelings which agitate the bird at the moment. To describe their song- 
more fully, we shall divide it in the following manner : First, The 
call-note of the male in spring ; second, The loud, clear, ardent, fierce 
notes of defiance; third. The soft, tender, full, melodious, love warble; 
fourth. The notes of fear or alarm, when danger approaches the nest ; 
fifth. The note of alarm, or war-cry, when a bird of prey appears ; 
sixth. The note the parent-birds utter to their brood, and the chirp or 
note of the young. The note of the young may be again divided into 
two, — that which they utter w'hile in the nest, and the chirp after they 
have left it, — for they are very distinct sounds or notes ; to which may 
be added, a soft, murmuring kind of note, emitted by the male while he 
is feeding the female in the nest ; and also by her while she is receiving 
the food. The call-note ; the warble of love ; and the notes of defi- 
ance, or prelude to battle, seem only to be understood by birds of the 
same species, at least in a wild state. Perhaps, in a state of domesti- 
cation, birds of different genera, if nearly allied, may partially compre- 
hend these notes, as the canary bird does the notes of the siskin, the 
goldfinch, and the linnet. But this, we think, is more occasioned by 
necessity than choice in these birds; and, in this case, it is man who breaks 
down the barriers nature has so wisely put between different species. 
The note of fear or alarm of the cock-bird, by which he gives notice to 
the hen of the approach of danger near the nest, and which she per- 
fectly understands — for she either keeps close, or quietly makes her 
escape ; this note, we think, is also only comprehended by birds of the 
same species, though we have certainly seen birds of different genera 
appear as if alarmed by this note of fear, sounded by a bird of a dif- 
ferent species or genus ; but whether it was the note that alarmed 
them, or our presence, we cannot say. But we are pretty sure, the 
notes of parent-birds, and the chirp of their young, are only understood 
by birds of the same species, or, rather we should say, family, for it 
