THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 
23 
It is also recorded that some porpoises, 
having ascended a river in Dorsetshire and 
finding their return barred by a fencing placed 
in the water, gave voice to the most distressing 
cries. 
In our review of the birds we find among 
them so many experts in the art of singing 
and whistling that it would be rash to proclaim 
any given species as being the most highly 
gifted in such respect. There can be little 
doubt, however, that from a popular point of 
view the nightingale has earned more fame as 
a songster than any other bird on account of 
its wonderfully clear voice and remarkable 
habit of warbling during the night. But it 
must not be assumed that this feathered 
songster confines its vocal performances solely 
to the night season, for it sings with equal, 
if not greater, vigour and sweetness during 
the daytime, although, of course, at such a 
time its melody is liable to be rendered less 
distinct owing to the volume of sound produced 
by other birds singing in the vicinity at the 
same time. 
Before proceeding further with our remarks 
upon the vocal power of birds, the writer feels 
it almost a duty to make a protest against the 
common custom of describing their songs by 
words, for unless one is already familiar with 
