New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-27
rartIcular note which s,gniaes "Come" and thla

particular note which signifies Come" ard this
note seems always to be understood and gen.
orally obeyed. almost instantly, by the bros OF
the same species though no bird Of anothet
species pays the slightest attention To IL. Bdt
the few shore birds which are really 'talkatiVe
namely the wild geese. the redshark. ana tno
green plovcr-pay very little attention to the
calls either OF their own species or OF any one
who can initiate them. We never heard OF any
who has ever tried to "call' wild geese
Green pover can be called. but very seldom; and
though rcdshanks can sometimes be whist!ed
within shot, this is rarely done.
HUNTERS USE OF BIRDCALLs.
The difference between the notes Of lr.Y'tation
made by various shore fowl-stints. gray plover.
golden pover, ringcd plover, knots and sand
pipers-is 50 s!ight that no one but fowler
ference Is as great as that between the sound or
French and English. a really iirst-class gunner
will sit In creek in August and call the BIRDS
up, if within hearing and inclined to move in
any order you like to name. Even such closely
allied birds as the curlcw and tho whmbrel
have different notes, though. as they are so often
associated on the marshes, one species VIII often
answer to the call made by the other. probably
in the expectation Of finding some Of It's own
tribe in the place. 1t is not little sur
prsing that these different birds most Of which
feed in company, should not have learned a COM
mon "all-fowls tongue" but they have not.
We once saw a large mixed flock of gray
plover, knots and stints flying past on the muds.
at a distance OF some ninety yards. n gunner
noticed that there were two or three golden
plover among them. These easy to call. and
all fowl are more likely to answer to the call
when only two three Of the same species are
together. The gunner, therefore. whsted the
golden plOycrs' note. and from the big flock
Of some sixty birds the pair Of golden plovers In
stantly flew out wheeled round. and passed
within fifty yards. answering the call in their
own language. Perhaps the best instance OF
the deXterity of the gunners in learning bird
language recently recorded in The West
minister Gazette" 1t is credited to n fowler who
shot the only specimen Of the broad-bllled sand
piper ever killed in Norfolk. When down on the
muds listening to the notes Of the shore birds
he distinguished one which ne did not know. lie
initiated It. the bird answered, flew up to hin
and was shot
1t does not follow that talkatve. garrulous
species really have more to say to one another
than others Like other chatterboXcs, they like
TO hear themselves. and do not listen to otnet
people. Starlings. for instance. which seem al
most to talk, and certainly can initiate other
birds when engaged in their curious song,
which seems so like n conversational variety en-
tcrtanmcnt are all the time enjoying mono
logue. No other Startling listens. On the other
hand starlings when they have anything TO
say as when nesting quarrcllinS for places
when going TO roost. use quite different notes.
OF all bird voices the song Of the swallow IL
most like human speech-nOt our speech. but
like the songs which the Lapp or such outlandish
races sing. B1pp woman sings q song just
like that OF a swallow at dawn. Yet the swal-
lows seem really to say little or nothing to one
another. and never come to each others call.
But the varieties Of bird speech and the posi-
bilities Of interchange Of ideas. are very great.
IT, for instance there is any real foundation for
the stories Of the rock trials and stork trials.
speech must play a considerable part In the
prOcptlingS