Page:Condor4(3).djvu/13

 MAY., I902. THE CONDOR 65 A Study of Bird Songs. BY JNO. J. VILLIAMS CHAPTER II. COMMON AND SPECIAL NOTES. EFORE considering some of the various bird notes in detail, I will quote one or two passages from Darwin's "Descent of Man," as being specially pertinent at this point: "The sounds uttered by birds offer in several respects the nearest analogy to language, for all the nlembers of the same species utter the same instinctive cries expres- sive of their emotions, and all the kinds which sing, exert their power instinc- tively; but the actual song and even the call-notes are learnt from their parents or foster-parents." (See chapter III.) No one acquainted with birds vill gainsay the latter part of this quotation, for incidents in which parent birds have been seen teaching their young to sing or utter their own songs or call- notes are o[common occurrence, though it may be probable that young birds fre- quently, partially learn io repeat the various notes of their parents without the latter consciously aiding them. ' He also leaves the reader to infer that even though a crow's vocal organs are struct- urally and essentially similar to those of the nightingale, no ,amount of repeti- tion or practice will teach him to sing like the latter. Further on, in chapter XIII, he says that "With birds the voice serves to exvress various emotions, such as distress, fear, anger, triumph or mere happiness. It is apparently some- times used to excite terror, as in the .case of the hissing noise made by some nestling birds. * * * * * Some social birds appareutly call to each other for aid, and as they flit from tree to tree, the flock is kept together by chirp an- swering chirp. During the nocturm/1 migrations or' geese and other water fowl, sonorous clangs from the van may be heard in the darkness overhead an- swered by clangs in the rear. Certain cries serve as danger signals, which as the sportsman knows to his cost, are understood by the same species and by others. The domestic cock crows and the hummingbird chirps in triumph over a defeated rival." Generally speaking, social birds are kept together by chirp answering chirp, as he says, but the call-note of a species is not restricted to this use entirely. For instance what a common sight it is to see blackbirds, robins, goldfinches or meadowlarks congregated in trees or on meadows and each and every bird ut- tering a great variety of their notes or songs continuously, one trying to out- do another. Not only is this so in the mating season, but even in the midst of winter a gleam of sunlight will cause them to twitter in this way, apparently in a spirit of emulation partly, and also as a vent, I suppose, to their own bouy- ant spirits. Again many of us who have hunted game birds know that they have danger signals or warning notes which they use to advantage as occa- sion demands, and most of my study of specialbird notes has been aided ly studying the special notes of game birds primarily. These notes are used much more frequently by our two local spec- ies of quail than by other birds because the necessity of their use is more ur- ge nt. A sparrow will flirt its wings and tail vigorously and make indiscriminate use of any of its common notes, on the ap- proach of a person, disappearing quick- ly into some bush or hollow. With our mountain quail, ( Oreorlfx p. filurniJrus) it is different. Instinctively he looks for some shelter to run to or if neces- sary to fly to, at the same time uttering his creaking, warning note, a rapid and nervous "cree-auk, cree-auk, cree-auk- ah" and some other inimitable chatter- ings, and quickly the flock gets ready for flight, or strikes out on the dead ruu for the high timber, as is the usual case.