A MISTAKE OF BROWNING

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 70, 23 March 1926, Page 3

A MISTAKE OF BROWNING

In an address at Now Plymouth on "The Song Birds of New Zealand," Mr. Johannes C. Andersen said that although hu had written down 100 songs of the tuis, sixty of the bell-birds, and fifty of the grey warblers, these were only a fraction of the songs it wan possible to record. Most of the songs of ttiu birds could be secorded O!- our musical scale. The speaker stated that ho had often found it difficult to distinguish between tho notes of tuis und bell-birds, and \va" often puzzled in tho same way when listening to thrushes and blackbirds. He said that he had often obsiervod young thrushes practicing. These young birds would sing one note nil day, then two notes, and so on without rest till, after a week's practice, they knew the notes thoroughly. They would then improvise and sing little songs. Mr. Andersen said that he did not agree with Browning's lines from "Home-Thoughta from Abroad".: "That's the wise thrush; ho sings cash song twice over, Lest you should think ho never could recapture Tho first lino careless rapture!'' According to Mr. Andersen, the thrush never sings the same song twice over.