Evening star., 1932-11-30
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES 4. TRACEWELL.

I Pretty Polly" no doubt secured much
OF its fame because Of those euphoni-
Gus syllables. Nevertheless. it Is a very
interesting bird. especially II gifted with
q pleasing voice as well as the power OF
mimicry.
Some parrots have such . voice, al
though this may be unbelievable to
those who have never heard anything
but the high-pitched, metallic shrek Of
ordinary birds.
For some months we were privileged
to listen to poll parrot, as they used
to be called, which had really beauti-
full voice, something like that of a little
girl perhaps or z years old.
There was lacking in its tones the
usual nasal quality one associates with
the mimicry OF parrots, macaws, cocka-
toos and the like.
This bird actually had sweet voice,
let us repeat
Not only were the sounds it uttered
as human speech pleasing to the human
ear, but they had an individuality, just
as the sounds of most human throats
differ one from another.
One felt sure after listening to Polly
over length Of days that II its voice
should be heard again in some far-away
place 1t would be recognized as belong
ing to this one creature and none other.
It's laughter was as individual as the
words it said. The listener found 1t
difiicult to believe that those tones were
mere mimicry without any enjoyment
or understanding, there was something
so infectious and whole -souled about
them.
Although this bird could reel of per-
feet sentences Of many words and more
syllables, these were not its distinctive
achievement, after all.
It was this quality Of voice, the veri-
table timbre. as it were. which fingered
in memory after the creature itself had
moved away with its owner to another
part of the city.
There Is no accounting for tone quail
ity in the speaking voice. 1t is different
from mere tone quality as manifested
among singing birds. The voices of the
latter are always beautiful, but all alike
no one voice stands out in the recol-
lection.
This memory Of voices Is distinct
possession Of some people. often they
manifest 1t In an unusual way over
the telephone, being able to recognize a
voice and to associate it with the right
name instantly.
Very few persons possess this gift, for
gift 1t must be called, although most
often its only good to It's possessor is to
permit him or her the added pleasure
Of correct recollection.
Yet when one stops to realize how
often what one remembers In the ordi-
nary walks Of life Is either not true or
partially incorrect in some feature or
other, it will be easy to recognize the
value of a good memory for voices.
Some persons are especially sensitive
to voice quality. not only In songs and
oratory but especially In regard to every
day speech-the ordinary speaking voice
rs distinguished from the rhetorical
voice.
NaturalneAs Is the keynote of the
ordinary voice. How many persons
most people know who have one way Of
talking for intimates and another for
strangers-one way for the home folks"
and another for company!
Perhaps the most common illustration
is the difference the average voice takes
on In reading letter or book to an
other.
Mostly there is lack Of naturalness
In such reading utterly at variance with
the natural, everyday voice OF the 1ndi-
vidual.
Perhaps the formality Of reading in
PRODUCES the new note. Maybe it Is a
hang from school days, when self
consciousness makes the child some
what unnatural.
At any rate, there can be little doubt
that most voices are utterly different In
ordinary conversation and reading.