Previous to to-day I have met with only two or three 
birds which had really musical songs and in no one place 
have I heard more than one or two individuals singing, 
while in most places, however favorable the conditions, 
there was nothing but the squeaky chirps and wiry or hissing 
notes of Coereba and Euethia . But St. Vincent is evidently 
an exception to the rule among West Indian islands, for 
its gardens and groves were ringing with bird music the 
whole forenoon or at least up to eleven o'clock. The most 
conspicuous and agreeable songster was a Mocking-bird which 
we took to be M imus gilvus . It was abundant everywhere and 
we were seldom out of sound of its voice. Its song is very 
similar to that of our Mimus polyglottus and some of the 
phrases are identical but they are given with rather less 
energy, there are more and longer pauses of silence, and 
the bird's notes as far as we could judge appear to be all 
its own. In other words, it does not "mock" at all. 
There was a large Wren (Thryothorus ? ),also, 
colored much like our Carolina Wren and nearly white under¬ 
neath, which sang very sweetly. The songs of different 
individuals varied considerably but all began with a few 
low, stuttering notes very like those of the House Wren. 
Our bird followed these notes with a rich trill similar, as 
I thought, to that of Troglodytes aidon, but Chapman thought 
it more resembled the song of Vireo gilvus . Another bird, as 
we both agreed, sang almost precisely like a White-eyed Vireo. 
