of poetry than of science. I think the sounds of birds are chiefly
intended for speech, but it may supply the place of music in their
aesthetic being; but, so far as I have observed, I confess that I cannot
find that they obey the laws of harmony, melody, or time, and it is my
opinion that most of the efforts to write the sounds of birds on a
musical staff are not to be relied upon as accurate records of the
sounds. There is no doubt that each sound uttered by a bird is in unison
with some note in the chromatic scale of music, but the intervals
between the tones of the same bird do not coincide with those of the
human voice. It is quite evident that birds possess an acute sense and
ready faculty for music, and many of them show great aptitude in
imitating the sounds of musical instruments; some varieties of birds,
such as the southern mocking-bird, the thrush, and others, imitate with
great success the sounds of other birds. They often do this so perfectly
as to deceive the species to which the sounds belong. The songs of
birds, as they are called, appear to afford them great pleasure, and
they often indulge in them, I think, as a pastime; the effect is
pleasing to the ear because of its cheerfulness, and it is not
discordant or wanting in richness of tone in most birds. From the little
study I have given them I think it safe to say that the range of sounds
possessed by any one bird is quite limited and their notes are strictly
monophones. This last remark does not apply to the sounds made by
parrots and birds of that kind.

The parrot is perhaps possessed of the greatest vocal power of any other
bird. He imitates almost the entire range of sounds that are uttered by
all other birds combined, and can also imitate the sounds of human
speech from the highest to the lowest pitch of the human voice. In
addition to all this, he imitates many noises, such as the sounds of
sawing wood, the slam of a door, and the whistling of the wind. The
vocal range of the parrot is perhaps the most marvellous of all the
vocal products of the animal kingdom. One strange thing, however, that I
observe among them is, that the range of sounds that they use among
themselves is very small. I have made some records of parrots, macaws,
cockatoos, &c., and I find their natural vocal sounds usually wanting in
quality: most of their sounds are hoarse and guttural.

Among the gallinaceous birds there does not appear to be much music.
There is a great