The Thrushes 
31 
and I hardly know what is most admirable in the bird;—its 
vivid, beautiful renewed plumage of June and July, its bright¬ 
eyed fearlessness as it runs on the dewy lawns, or its full rich 
bursts of song. .1 do not know a more inspiring sight than a 
thrush on the topmost shoot of a grey-bloomed Douglas fir, 
singing rapturously on a warm day of misted rain;—it is as 
though the mounting life of the tree had risen up, and up, and 
were throbbing from the lofty youngest shoot in a fountain of 
sound, a living embodiment of song. 
The thrush is among the first to start the year’s song, the old 
birds with the assurance of practised singers, the young of 
the past season with the hesitancy of beginners. Within a dis¬ 
tance of half a mile I in one season daily passed five birds, 
always practising, each in its own tree, and always on the 
same twig. 
One year I observed a learner from the very beginning of his 
practising; and as I passed, morning by morning, I wrote down 
the new notes of his awakening song. The first song of that 
season was heard on the 30th April, the last day of autumn; 
many birds were developing their singing-voice by the end of 
the first week of May. It is noticeable that the birds appear 
to brighten up and find their voice when the frosty air of May 
and June makes the skies blue by day, and the stars sparkling 
by night. 
On the 21st May I saw the learner actually begin his 
practising. He started with the simple notes of (1), triplets 
of the same notes, as in (2), and the first simple interval, as in 
(3). It was noticeable that, whilst the vocalization of the pairs 
and triplets was ti or tin, that of the notes of the interval was 
wer-tit. Next day the fives of (4) were practised, in addition 
to those acquired the day before. There appeared to be no order 
in the practising;—the pairs of (1) might be uttered once, twice, 
or up to five .times, but usually thrice; then (3) or (2) once or 
several times, but (2) usually twice, and (3) thrice, then (1) 
again, or (5), and so on, over and over, by the hour. On the 
second day (5) also was added,—a very rapid vibrato on one 
note (not a tremolo), as though the sound were forced through 
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