. Familiar features of the roadside; the flowers, shrubs, birds, and insects. Natural history. BIRDS WITH UNMUSICAL VOICES. 121 In any sound of whatever kind which is not a harsh noise, there is a keynote (tone). Niag- ara Falls is no exception to the' rule; to my ear it distinctly hums a profound organ note. But according to atmospheric conditions and one's relative position to the falls, the organ tone is higher or lower. We can not pass a barn yard without hearing the unmusical cackle of the hen; yet a little careful attention will perhaps bring with it the knowledge that the racket is not
. Familiar features of the roadside; the flowers, shrubs, birds, and insects. Natural history. BIRDS WITH UNMUSICAL VOICES. 121 In any sound of whatever kind which is not a harsh noise, there is a keynote (tone). Niag- ara Falls is no exception to the' rule; to my ear it distinctly hums a profound organ note. But according to atmospheric conditions and one's relative position to the falls, the organ tone is higher or lower. We can not pass a barn yard without hearing the unmusical cackle of the hen; yet a little careful attention will perhaps bring with it the knowledge that the racket is not simply a noise after all. This is what I make of it: » cr«. / ^ I Cut cutcutcut-cut cut-cut-cut cut-eut-rut cut Cut etc. ISTot even the twitting chatter of the barn swallow is really unmusical, and the night song of a million crickets is a lullaby of two soothing notes,* im- mensely musical in effect. It is the case, then, that there are unmusical birds, if we consider the matter strictly in the light of com- * See Chapter VI, Jlcadow Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Mathews, F. Schuyler (Ferdinand Schuyler), 1854-1938. New York, D. Appleton and Company
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Keywords: ., booka, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnaturalhistory
