Afoot In England, By W.H. Hudson


























































































 -   He is speaking of the
redstart.  Unfortunately for the rule there are too many
exceptions.  Thus confining ourselves to a - Page 195
Afoot In England, By W.H. Hudson - Page 195 of 298 - First - Home

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He Is Speaking Of The Redstart.

Unfortunately for the rule there are too many exceptions.

Thus confining ourselves to a single family - that of the finches - in our own islands, the most modest coloured have the least melody, while those that have the gayest plumage are the best singers - the goldfinch, chaffinch, siskin, and linnet. Nevertheless it is impossible to listen for any length of time to the redstart, and to many redstarts, without feeling, almost with irritation, that its strain is only the prelude of a song - a promise never performed; that once upon a time in the remote past it was a sweet, copious, and varied singer, and that only a fragment of its melody now remains. The opening rapidly warbled notes are so charming that the attention is instantly attracted by them. They are composed of two sounds, both beautiful - the bright pure gushing robin-like note, and the more tender expressive swallow-like note. And that is all; the song scarcely begins before it ends, or collapses; for in most cases the pure sweet opening strain is followed by a curious little farrago of gurgling and squeaking sounds, and little fragments of varied notes, often so low as to be audible only at a few yards' distance. It is curious that these slight fragments of notes at the end vary in different individuals, in strength and character and in number, from a single faintest squeal to half a dozen or a dozen distinct sounds. In all cases they are emitted with apparent effort, as if the bird strained its pipe in the vain attempt to continue the song.

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