Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-09

The little English redbreast, VINO isF.ie
true robin, has been heard sinsihs '"e
brilliant song of the thrush. fhe Ems
lish blackbird, one or the hhest -.
feathered choristers, has on TWO VI
three occasions been caught iiiiita.ils
tho CHEEKY call of chanticleer. An Eng
4 l;sb skylark has borrowed the homeiy
little song of the chaffnch. ana coh-
verted it into soaring skylark rhytniVhs
PM quite apart from this RANDOM por-
rowing. which, however. shows the
perfection of car and of the faeuily Oh
minaicrv. there is the regular STUDY
and practice of which young pirus
| learn their own proper songs. as wen
as their call notes, their hight s2iiss'
I q nd the whole repretory of bird music.
Certain birds have been heard siNiii
regular singing lessons to their hes.,
linps. ovenbirds, the little brown, soiu
crested ground warblers which NIL our
woods during May and June with tseii
axc;tad call. Teacher, teacher. teaeia-
err, teacher give their lttie ones ~
tematie singing lessons, wh'ie me
Youngsters are still. IN the pro'Ni,'
Dutch-oven shaped nest on the srouho'
that has gained the birds their iiatiie'
First the father and mother BRO sing
duet: then the little ones tfy To I'M
tate it; the parents go over II asah'
ava The Youngsters try AGAIN. AFTER
while the dinner question presses anu
the elders go off to hunt for grllhs ana
"a terpillars. While they are away inc
yonnp ones practice their singing 'es
con e,inc over it again and again 'th's
q more 3Tter litcl
,.orants ON their return. English nat
,,,.,,1ists have voted very similar lessons
given in the month of August by the
familiar and attractive yellow pt'i'''hs
so abundant in the hedSeroWs anu -
popular parsonage N feikiofe.
song of the "yellowhammer mas loi
genera tions been rendered thus: "A III,
tie bit of bread end no cheese. anu
the rendering is excellent IN etie
month of August, then. parent ana
child. well hid in the midst Of a timex
hawthorn hedge, begin their iesso'
The parent first sings, clearly ana us
tinctiy. "A little bit of bread ana no
cheese," Then the young yeiloWiiiih
mer tries to copy it. haltingly at nrs''
md nerhaps gets as far as "A little
hit of bread--and no" and then STOPS.
not remembering or not feeilng eauai
-. tho cbeese. The parent sings again
and the yonngster again Repeats 81.
In a weak and uncertain way; olt %
August merges into september anu ''ie
baws swell on the boushs, the souhs
ones song grows stronger ana mo-
assured, till at last he graduates Win
the. full melody.
But not all young birds get such reg
Mar lessons. Many try the SONGS tiiehs,
selves. after listening to their ioila
Gathers. and queer stumbling attempts
they make at first, very like the EFFORTS
,t chiIdren learning to talk. Imitation,
therefore. counts for much. Thus the
ages of the English common linnet
49, haan taken from the nest, and
nIaced under brooding skylarks, W"oa
larks and titlarks; and IN eaeil case
the young linnets have iearneu .ie
song of their foster parents. bu. mn
tation is not everything. quite. apai
from singing lessons ana IiiHilcis'
song seems to be as natural TOT pfrus
IS the true baby talk is fer little ehii-
lren. who only begin CONSCIOUSLY 70
initiate their parents after many
months og "goo-goo" ana pa I'D
,a"-ing on their own accounts. me
Faropean cuckoo, for example. Is no.
Iortous for laying her eggs IN othef
birds, nests. generally those of the
,uiet little hedge sparrow, just as the
a n,ericau cowbird lays hers IN the
nests. of the wood -warblers. Yet young
,,,croos learn to call, though theN
,ever know their parents, and there IS
~ record of their ever repeating the
80 &c their involuntary foster par
.nts, the hedge sparroWs.-Hafper
!, eekly.