The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-02

Scott of Princeton University, United sStates, reared Baltimore orioles in a fourth fiat in Boston, where they heard no other birds sing. When they reached the age for singing they developed an entirely original song, and not that of their parents. And other nestlings of the same species lodged with them learned this song also. Some observations of that keen naturalist, MT. w. H. Hudson suggest another in- depreciation. A young specimen of the Rufous Tinamou was taken from the nest just as it was breaking the shell. It was brought up without the possi- bility of hearing the song of it's species. Yet, long before full grown, it would re- tire to a dark corner of the room, and give it's characteristic evening song in great perfection And then there is the case of the cuckoo. The young bird can hardly be supposed to learn from it's parents. Reared in the nest of the tit lark. wagtail, or hedge sparrow, it listens to the songs of it's foster par ents that have gone to congenial climes But you say. may not the young cukoo rejoin it's parents on the other side, and learn it's song during it's winter absence You ransack your brains and your pathological library, to find out whether the cuckoo sings or not during it's winter retreat. And there is no answer. Next year when the voice of the cuckoo is heard again there is no perceptible difference between that of old and young.
 The view that young birds learn their song by direct imitation of their parents while still in the nest is indicated by another observation of MT. Hudson The young of the oven bird may be heard singing in the nest while their parents are absent. Their parents have a curious habit of singing in concert, a sort of duet, and when still only parti- ally fiedged the young ones may be heard practicing it. The imitation theo- ry indicated by Harrington experiments is strengthened by the fact that many birds are imitators of others. Among native birds the starling is facile prin- ceps in this line. He will sit on his wonted corner of the housetop. and give you his rendering of the biackbird, the thrush, and the curlew for hours. The starling can scarcely be said to have a song of it's own, but there are other imitators, which have well-defined music of their own. The mocking- bird of America, though it possesses a song of surpassing beauty, will yet initiate every other bird of the forest. And the blackbird will sometimes leave off his own beautiful song to practice the art of the mimic. Among other things he will initiate the growing of the cock.
 And it is curious fact in connection with bird mimicry that one of the birds least of all to sing in state of nature viz, the bullfinch--is the one which
 has been trained to do the most won- derful things in the way of imitation. Even the songless sparrow has been
 taught to whistle tune. It has also been known to learn the canary's song. Why does not the sparrow sing in na-
 ture? The sedgewarblers song is a rapid torrent of scolding poured forth continuously. And it is said to be a patchwork of the alarm notes of a number of different birds with which
 the sedge- warbler never associates. The blackcap has been heard to initiate the reiterated notes of the song thrush, and the skylark to repeat and embellish the simple notes of the chaffinch. Again, the cry of an owl is heard from the shrubbery, and Investigations show it proceeds from the throat of thrush.--- London Standard.