80 Bird-Song : and New Zealand Song Birds 
intervals are wider and more distinct. The song is very quickly 
sung; eight or ten semiquavers a second. The variant (4) was 
heard near Hokitika; the rest of the songs were heard on 
Banks Peninsula. It was towards the end of the winter and I 
was expecting no song, when I heard the familiar slur but 
did not at first recognize the song, as the opening was different 
and the notes w^ere vocalized. But when I saw the cheerful 
little flock of four or five, singing intermittently as they 
searched the trees, I recognized them at once. One would 
begin, another would join on the second note, another, or two 
more on the third, and all were in when the slur came, their 
time of joining depending apparently on inclination, or pre¬ 
occupation with other matters. There is surprisingly little 
variety of notes considering how well developed and finished 
the song is: the white-head has infinitely more notes, but not 
so complete a song. It is an art song, too, for the phrases are 
combined in a definite manner; so definite that the birds are 
able to sing the same song in concert. There is no doubt that 
several New Zealand birds, such as the tui, the bell-bird, the 
brown creeper, the grey warbler, have many motifs; and the fact 
that they vary them regularly shews that an art-consciousness 
is being developed in the singers. 
The more common Maori names are pipipi and toitoi; the 
first would appear to be given on account of the characteristic 
triplets of the song. 
