Page:Condor4(1).djvu/11

 THE CONDOR [ VoL IV CHAPTER I, N treating of such a complex subject as Bird Songs, there are usually two methods of procedure pen to the observer. One way, and the more common one too, is to lump the whole subject into as small a space as possible and, considering it collectively, go into rhapsodies over the enchantment of some bird's songs, tile soul stirring melodies of others, or the sad sorrowful intonations of others, exactly as we do with human singers, vhile a criticism of fhe harsh, monotonous, discordant or lesser cries and notes of a host of others is relegated to some later edition, or at best, passed over in scorn, the writer securing his or her basis for such a trea- tise from a week's visit to some neigh- bor's country home. 7No thcught of the eternal life strug- gle that has been molding ald perfect- ing even the poorest avian solos, enters into their consideration of the subject; no inborn love for the birds themselves bestirs the author's mighty pen; no question arises as to the causes or use- fulness of the songs themselves. In short they are beautiful or harsh or sad to them and that is all there is to it. This is the simpler method of treating the subject, but there is a more thorough way which gives better results even if it is a little more intricate. In the first place bird songs, as a rule, are not the meaningless warblings and twitterings they may seem to be to tile casual ob- server. Most of them are used by the birds for various purposes or to further certain ends, although some probably are not as useful to them as others. Even a student of bird songs will at times run across a note or a song which apparently is useless to the bird itself and yet a little more study of it will later on disclose to him its usefulness. Such at least has been my experience. Origiually the pleasure that birds' A Study of Bird Songs. BY NO. . W'ILLIA.%S. PREPARATORY STUDY OF BIRD SONGS. songs gave me was a passing one. Later on while they sang, I listened and when their songs ceased I went on my way somewhat reluctantly. Then from simply listening to their murmur- ings and forgetting them, I gradually came to look forward to thein, wonder- ing at their innumerable variations and trying to memorize some of the simpler ones, for what reason I knew not. But this I quickly found was hard work. To listen to the ups and downs of a bird's song is easy for anyone to do but to mentally photograph all or any of these variations, so that the mind can partially recall them later on, is a task fof even a practiced observer. Soon I found that their songs were really sep- arable into two main divisions, that is common and special notes, and true svngs. In some cases the two divisions inter- grade to some extent, as might be ex- pected, but taken throughout they formed two distinct classes of vocal ef- forts, and the common and special notes were much more easily remembered, owing to their simplicity and more fre- quent use. This subdivision ito two classes also saved some confusion in studying them, for by putting the songs aside, temporarily, and concentrating observation and memory on the simpler notes, a better foundation for a detailed study of songs proper, was made. Among the common and special notes I included those used for warning, call- ing or commanding, and also the very varied flying and perching notes and then I began considering them separ- ately. Until then I was in complete ignorance of their importance and mean- ing to the birds, thinking as others did possibly, that they might be of some slight use to them or they vould not make use of them and it must have been about