ife, and is manifested in the friendly relations with
each other which the creatures maintain. A good instance of this is to
be found in the crows and their kindred, a group of extremely sociable
creatures, which are endlessly engaged in chattering communications with
each other. All these forms are highly domesticable, and if for any
reason they had proved permanently attractive to men they would
doubtless have been brought into the state of willing captives.

Although some of the free-flying or tree birds have been kept for their
beauty alone, the greater part of them have commended themselves to man
because of their voices. It is hardly necessary to tell the reader that
the birds, of all animals, are most provided with means of expression
through the voice. There is hardly a species which has not a greater
range of notes or calls than the most vocal of our wild mammals, and
many varieties are impelled to tuneful expression in a measure which no
other creature, not even man, exhibits. In most cases these utterances
are pleasing to the human ear, for they have the quality which we term
musical. Therefore it is not surprising that the most of our captive
birds have been chosen for their song.

It seems clear that the song of birds, like their calls--the two shade
indefinitely into each other--expresses a sympathetic emotional
consciousness of the actions going on about them, particularly of the
life of their kind. In general these utterances are directed toward
their kindred of their own species. In many cases, however, as among the
imitative birds, the sounds which they utter indicate a curiously keen
interest in the actions of their masters or other human affairs. The
mocking-birds and some other species will, with great assiduity,
endeavor to copy any sound which they happen to hear. I well remember
watching a mocking-bird which was listening with rapt attention to the
noise produced by a man sharpening a saw with a file. The poor bird
would hearken with great attention until he thought he had caught the
note, and then endeavor to reproduce it. As may be imagined, the measure
of his success was small. He was fully conscious of his failure, and
would beat himself about the cage in evident chagrin, returning again
and again to try the hopeless task.

Wherever the vocal organs of caged birds permit them to imitate human
speech they are apt to devote a large part of their labor to this task,
paying little attention to