The Honey-eaters : The Tui 
127 
the charm of these pure notes ringing through the over-canopied 
pillared aisles and apses of the quiet bush. 
Besides the ordinary, loud-sounding song, some birds, probably 
all, have a whisper-song, sung very softly in the throat. The 
usual song of the starling is largely a whisper-song; that is, 
excepting a few loud whistles and cries, and imitative sounds, 
most of the notes seem bubbling or whispering in the dilated 
throat, and are barely audible. I have seen a caged thrush 
singing a very low-voiced whisper song to himself. It is a 
2-wr*_ _ . . 
2-8™ 
52 
twee.ee twee.eet.a .twe«t twee.ee 
nut cracker 
-gHr 
f* ' 
m - 
2=5 
— 
j 
sweet, a tonqed boon 
different song, too, from the croodling whispers of the hen bird 
to her nestlings; even the noisy kaka has a delightful croodling 
song. The tui and bell-bird have a wide series of these whisper- 
songs, which are interspersed with their ordinary songs, but 
are so faintly uttered that some people never hear them at all: 
they may see the bird singing but cannot hear a note of the 
song. A short strain of wliisper-song following a modified call, 
is shewn in (50). This song was recorded in Stony Bay, in 
December, 1908, and was the first whisper-song noted; probably 
the concluding notes should be marked yet an octave higher. 
The bird uttered the opening notes with neck outstretched and 
