Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 6 (1902).djvu/487

Rh round their breeding haunts; on the 13th, Razorbills appeared, and on the 17th Guillemots.

I was again struck by the excessive variation in the notes and songs of certain species as compared with my own county—Worcestershire. This variation I have previously alluded to in these pages. I thought, however, it would be as well to endeavour if possible to determine wherein the exact difference lay—whether in the pitch or arrangement of the song, or both. This was difficult, as to achieve such a result it was necessary to carry in one's mind the exact representation of the song as sung elsewhere. I found that the arrangement of the song—by arrangement I mean the order in which the various trills and single notes are placed, for it will be noticed that the song of most birds is composed of various little "snatches," each one of which practically constitutes a song in itself—differed to a great extent from the same song in Worcestershire, and when first heard appeared to differ in toto. I will take two examples, and by comparing the arrangement of the song of these two examples as sung in Worcestershire and Sark, will endeavour to point out the difference as it appeared to me. The two examples are the Great Tit and the Wren, and I take these because in them the variations were most striking, and, therefore, more easily defined.

The song of the Great Tit in Worcestershire consists, as a rule, of two notes, the one uttered last a full note higher than the first. In Sark it was very different, the first note often being uttered three, four, or more times, and the last note once; occasionally the first note was uttered alone, repeatedly, for some time.

The song of the Wren in Sark differed from other Wrens more than the preceding example differs from its respective species, and is more difficult to explain. The song is shorter, and certain parts usually found in the song of the Wren are altogether absent.

The whole subject of bird song is one of which we are profoundly ignorant. How few of those who profess to be ornithologists are able to distinguish different notes! One would think that what is known as a "good ear" is a sine quâ non, but this I cannot believe, having frequently noticed that those who Zool. 4th ser. vol. VI., November, 1902.