even and uniform, now becomes broken or divided into syllables 
like chipperchipperchipper — chipperchipper, rapidly in¬ 
creasing in quickness; when (all this probably produced by 
rapid beats of the wings, the pauses representing intervals 
of sailing) now with a whit-wit (from the throat, like the 
Song Sparrow* s 
commencement of(Melospiza Melodia*s) J song, begins a rapid 
ecstatic warble much like that of the canary but more liquid 
and sweet, becoming still sweeter and more powerful as the 
bird approaches the ground till it ends in perfect tumult of 
rapturous song and, suddenly cut short, he drops to the earth 
in silence. An interval of a few seconds follows, then you 
hear a sound like a heavy drop of water falling into a cis¬ 
tern, repeated twice or thrice, pt-ul, pt-ul,pt-ul, and in 
the same breath with the last utterance a loud harsh pa-ap, 
sounding at a distance like-the cry of the Night-hawk, but 
nearer with a strange vibrating twang, and repeated at inter¬ 
vals of about five seconds, always however with the pt-ul 
preceding. Sometimes the pa-ap was suddenly choked in the 
middle of its utterance as if by the bird's swallowing some¬ 
thing. This harsh cry would be repeated about thirty times, 
when the Woodcock would rise and sing again. As soon as the 
light faded from the West, the song ceased, though the other 
notes were kept up almost without intermission. Mr. Robbins 
informed me that they make still another noise, by coming 
