The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales Volume 8 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 Excerpt: ...A single gurgling note, "lgl," has the quality of the magpie's song. "Kee," however, is the basis of the language, and is pitched near E, though this varies with different individual, and even in the same individual it rises or falls somewhat less than a semitone, according to the desired meaning. Thus, is emphatic, and calls for attention or denotes alarm, the second note having a falling inflection and accented, as if in a final effort of expulsion. Similarly, the single syllable " kee" may become "kee-eh," in which the second part is sharpened half a tone. In the playful note "ko-lee" the order of the tones is reversed, as follows: --"ft ft' "ft-ft" "ft ft' E F F V E All these various notes, of course, have their special meaning according to the occasion on which they are used, but they are rarely uttered from the ground. Conversation is carried on during flight as well as when the birds are perched on a tree or fence, or even while sitting on the eggs or brooding the young. When he is terrified, our poor little friend is a pitiable sight. His wings raised and trembling with excitement, his voice goes up about an octave, and his cries are loud and in quick succession. This alarm will summon other birds, such as the soldier-bird and magpie. 1 have observed that this cry of terror is common to a number of species, and this is probably due to the fact that these species have some enemies and sources of danger in common. It will doubtless excite the reader's amusement to be told that these birds perform accurately-timed duets. This trait is well developed among Australian birds and frogs; in fact, I do not remember to have heard in any other part of the world such good examples of th...