. British birds. Birds. OTES THE MEANING OF BIRDS' SONGS. If I read him correctly, Mr. F. Stubbs (antea, p. 155) seems to think that song is nothing more than the ebullition of superfluous energy. That is to say that it plays as much or as little part in the life of a bird as the steam escaping into the air from the safety-valve of an overcharged boiler plays in regard to the economy of an engine. Mr. Kirkman boldly says, that a Robin " sings to please himself " But do we in Nature see things running to waste in this spendthrift way ? When Mr. Stubbs says in regard to singing that th
. British birds. Birds. OTES THE MEANING OF BIRDS' SONGS. If I read him correctly, Mr. F. Stubbs (antea, p. 155) seems to think that song is nothing more than the ebullition of superfluous energy. That is to say that it plays as much or as little part in the life of a bird as the steam escaping into the air from the safety-valve of an overcharged boiler plays in regard to the economy of an engine. Mr. Kirkman boldly says, that a Robin " sings to please himself " But do we in Nature see things running to waste in this spendthrift way ? When Mr. Stubbs says in regard to singing that the bird has " no alternative," I suppose no one will disagree with him, for song is surely an " unconscious," almost a reflex act, initiated by a series of internal physiological changes and external conditions in the environment of the bird. Of course, if we choose to think that any vitality can be superfluous, I suppose we may say, with Mr. Stubbs, that song is the result of superfluous vitality. But then we can just as easily say the same of reproduction, which does not seem to get us much further. What we should like to know is, what is this " vitality," and in what mysterious way is it induced to act in certain directions at certain cyclical periods. Mere abundance of food does not seem a sufficient explanation, otherwise we should have expected the song of the Blackcap to have waxed stronger in the spring, which was not the case. Has anyone ever compared the syrinx of a bird during the reproductive period with that of a syrinx in the non-breeding or nestling stage ? We know that at certain periodic seasons the reproductive organs take on an increased physiological and histological activity and are thus ready to perform their functions if the opportunity arises. We know also that in the case of the higher vertebrates, distant organs and tissues of the body become physiologically active in sympathy with and synchronously with the physiological a
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