Chapter 22

A Lyrebird is a ground-dwelling Australian bird. (There are two species – Superb L., or Albert’s L, named after Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.). They are “Mimicking Specialists” – because their syrinx muscles are “complex”. I don’t know what this means, I am not a scientist. I’ve never seen a Lyrebird, but I’ve heard them on Television – and I WISH I could see one. They can imitate – other birds, chatter of a flock of birds, other animals, and human noises, machinery of all kinds, explosions and musical instruments. I read that a Lyrebird can carry two tunes at the same time!

Humans are jealous creatures, I think. We saw birds fly, and we wanted to fly. We couldn’t do it naturally, so we built the machine to carry us. We listened to the birds, and we tried to sing – like them. Sometimes a beautiful singer [human] will be complimented, like so – “she sings like a bird.”

Can humans mimic as well as the Lyrebird? Again, not naturally (although some try!), but then we created tape recorders, electronic studios, where sounds are blended together.

We always want to be more than what we are, humans. We’ve done a good job of it, too. Our ability to create is commendable. I wonder though - will we ever fly to close to the sun, like Icarus… [in the myth of the son and father, who flew with waxwings over the sea. Icarus’ wings melted, because his curiosity got the better of him. His ego soared… too high. He wanted the sun, so he flew up, up up, until he fell into the sea.].

Perhaps a Lyrebird could be thought of as a fun loving, feathered storyteller. Well, you have to have a cast of thousands to get the story right, hmm. Therefore, perhaps, the Lyrebird creates his characters, through the extraordinary range of his voice.