20 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
: mL: by F. R. Dickinson 
THE BROWN THRASHER 
and sees the unusual. Birds in captivity seldom exhibit all of their 
characteristics. Certain species can be distinctly identified as they 
travel on their migrations at night. I love to whistle as they travel 
in flocks. Many species hesitate when one calls as they fly over. It 
has been surprising how many birds answer and circle when one gives 
the right call at the right time. Some calls are more effective at cer- 
tain periods in the year. These little notes when birds are in flocks 
are highly interesting and cannot be learned over night but take years 
of careful study and practice. Many ducks never respond unless the 
exact note is given. 
Birds are not easily fooled. In my earlier experiences I wrote 
down every note in words. I still have that book which helps me get 
the right note at the right moment. Human minds cannot get the right 
inflection instantly. After a few months out of the field some calls 
must be given several times before the birds will respond. It has been 
a constant pleasure to me to add even one new call a year. Sometimes 
I have used instruments, some of them crude things and some expen- 
sive, but in the majority of cases the human throat has been resorted 
to as the most reliable. Bird notes are usually soft. The Blue Jay is 
an example of a harsh note, and a good example of a soft note is the 
““T-I-Peabody-Peabody-Peabody”’ of the White-throated Sparrow. Of 
all songs I love the Brown Thrasher the best—his way of sitting on 
the tip-top of a big tree and gloriously rolling off the repeated notes. 
Now after twenty-five years of bird study there are calls and 
songs of forty-three of our native birds that I imitate fairly well. 
Some throats more than others are adapted to imitating bird voices. It 
has been a joy, a happiness and something worth while to me to learn 
to call our birds. So, if you are thinking of learning bird songs, start 
early, stay in the field, sleep out, eat out and stick to it! 
EDMUND F. HULSBERG. 
