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THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
Zoologist for 1864, and trouble has recurred ever since when
the matter is mentioned. Some field students say that the
Redwing sings frequently in England ; others deny it altogether.
I do not want to enter into a controversy on this point, but I
cannot avoid saying that I myself hold the singing of the Red-
wing to be a very familiar feature of English landscapes. The
reason may be that I have always paid rather close attention
to this common bird ; like those of Bullfinch or House Sparrow,
its song is not one that forces itself on one's notice ; but when
We begin to watch Redwings we soon detect how fond they are
of singing on fine days.
The song varies in a remarkable way, a fact that has been
noticed in the northern breeding haunts of the bird. The
Redwing has, besides the song, at least three distinct calls. The
rarest is an alarm note, a chuckle nearly as loud as the rattle
of a Blackbird. Much more frequent is a soft, almost explosive
"Chup" or "Yup," a note without any sibilant quality. The
commonest call, and the most important now, is a shrill piping
squeak or whistle, a sort of long-drawn-out "Seep" or "Tzeee-
e-ep." Sometimes this is so thin as to resemble a common call
of the Blackbird ; but I do not think it can ever be confused
with the short "tzip" of the Thrush.
A remarkable fact, not to my knowledge ever discussed in
the literature of birds, is that this "seep" of the Redwing
is by far the commonest night-call to be heard in Great Britain ;
and, moreover, there is no corner of this country where it may
not be heard. Twelve years ago, in the Zoologist for 1911
(pp. 361-366), I drew attention to this curious habit of the
Redwing and since then have accumulated a great number of
additional observations. Many of these were made in Essex,
where the Redwing is a common bird ; but the most valuable
observations refer to the Pennine moors, places where the bird
is never seen during the hours of daylight. I would like to refer
the reader who happens to feel interested in the matter to this
Zoologist paper, which contains particulars not necessary to
quote here.
Perhaps our two most ubiquitous birds are the House Sparrow
and the Cuckoo. Outside the towns there is no British locality
without Cuckoos ; but the bird avoids urban districts where
fields are scarce ; on the other hand, the House Sparrow finds