56 Bird-Song : and New Zealand Song Birds 
note only was vocalized, the others being softly whistled the 
time taken for the whole being about a second and a half. 
The most common song heard in and around Wellington is 
(18). This theme, repeated from three to six times or"more 
makes a very attractive song, and in it the bird displays con¬ 
siderable art. The theme is greatly varied, both in sequence 
of notes, and in colour of consecutive parts; and the bird in it, 
moreover, seems conscious of time, as tlie song* falls into 
perfectly regular bars. 
There is no doubt that the bird is able to use at will intervals 
less than semitones, as variations with enharmonic notes have 
2-8Y* 
been recorded, and checked many times during weeks and 
months before being finally set down as definite. The varia¬ 
tions (19) and (20), for instance, were heard on the same day, 
and on one occasion within a few moments of each other, the 
c i ei ence in the interval of the closing notes being very 
’ ° ne Was distinctly g half sharp to g sharp, the other 
g a sharp to a. This common phrase takes about a 
seconc and a half; so that if repeated six times without break, 
as it often is, it lasts nine or ten seconds. 
At times the common theme opens with a variation of (11). 
fov) 9 ^ erna ^ on i° ll d and soft notes shows how this opening, 
, +V ^ ^ meS soun d like (11) ; but I have been quite close 
. ° lrc ^ an d heard both themes, so am confident the bird 
e to sing the variations at will. When the theme is opened 
