Plata," fourth edition, 1903: "It
is true that Daines Barrington's notion that young song birds learn to
sing only by imitating the adults, still holds its ground; and Darwin
gives it his approval in his 'Descent of Man'. It is perhaps one of
those doctrines which are partly true, or which do not contain the
whole truth; and it is possible to believe that, while many singing
birds do so learn their songs, or acquire a greater proficiency in them
from hearing the adults, in other species the song comes instinctively,
and is, like other instincts and habits, purely an 'inherited memory'."
What Dr. Hudson surmises may be the case, I believe my experiments have
proved to be true.

ARE BIRDS SINGERS OR WHISTLERS?*

*Reprinted by permission from "Our Animal Friends."

Not a little discussion has arisen among the dissectors as to the
anatomy of bird song. Into this controversy I shall not enter--at
least, not in a controversial spirit--but shall recount only what may
be regarded as the best and latest results of scientific research. How
does a bird produce the melodious notes that emanate from his throat?
Are they manufactured far down in the trachea, or only at its anterior
opening? Are they voice tones or flute tones? These questions will be
answered as we proceed to examine the bird's lyrical apparatus without
going into wearisome detail, or making use of many difficult scientific
terms, which are the bane of the general reader.

Let me begin at the upper end of the avian singing machine--that is,
with the mouth, including the bill, the lips of which are called
mandibles. Just as the movements of the human lips have much to do
with the modifications of the human voice, so the opening and closing
of the bird's mandibles exercise a modifying influence upon avicular
tones. If it were not so, the feathered minstrel would not keep his
mandibles in such constant motion during his lyrical recitals. You
will notice that whenever he desires to strike a very high and loud
note he opens his mandibles quite widely, sometimes almost to the
fullest possible extent.

However, the expansion and contraction of the throat orifice, no doubt,
produce still more marked variations in the tones of the vocalist; yet
it must be borne in mind that closed or partly closed mandibles will
obstruct the passage of the air from the throat, while open mandibles
will permit of a full passage of the air current, and the tones will
vary