“Les petits renards qui détruisent la Vigne du Seigneur Sabaoth”. Innocent III et le Cantique des cantiques

This article examines medieval interpretations of the Song of Songs and their appearance in the correspondence of one of the greatest popes of the High Middle Ages: Innocent III (1198-1216). Innocent III’s depiction of heretics in the south of France as ‘the little foxes which destroy the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts’ was not unprecedented: decades earlier Saint Bernard of Clairvaux had also likened the ‘little foxes’ to heretics in his sermons. Bernard’s renown both as mystical theologian and tireless political advocate of the papacy meant that Innocent is likely to have drawn on such sermons for inspiration when composing his correspondence to the Christian faithful. Innocent’s references to the Song of Songs also provide conclusive evidence that a significant number of his letters have a highly personal flavour and that we really can discern a pope’s own ‘voice’ through his correspondence.

Earworms ("stuck song syndrome"): towards a natural history of intrusive thoughts

Two studies examine the experience of “earworms”, unwanted catchy tunes that repeat. Survey data show that the experience is widespread but earworms are not generally considered problematic, although those who consider music to be important to them report earworms as longer, and harder to control, than those who consider music as less important. The tunes which produce these experiences vary considerably between individuals but are always familiar to those who experience them. A diary study confirms these findings and also indicates that, although earworm recurrence is relatively uncommon and unlikely to persist for longer than 24 hours, the length of both the earworm and the earworm experience frequently exceed standard estimates of auditory memory capacity. Active attempts to block or eliminate the earworm are less successful than passive acceptance, consistent with Wegner’s (1994) theory of ironic mental control.

Song development in birds: the role of early experience and its potential effect on rehabilitation success

Environmental conditions during the early life stages of birds can have significant effects on the quality of sexual signals in adulthood, especially song, and these ultimately have consequences for breeding success and fitness. This has wide-ranging implications for the rehabilitation protocols undertaken in wildlife hospitals which aim to return captive-reared animals to their natural habitat. Here we review the current literature on bird song development and learning in order to determine the potential impact that the rearing of juvenile songbirds in captivity can have on rehabilitation success. We quantify the effects of reduced learning on song structure and relate this to the possible effects on an individual's ability to defend a territory or attract a mate. We show the importance of providing a conspecific auditory model for birds to learn from in the early stages post-fledging, either via live- or tape-tutoring and provide suggestions for tutoring regimes. We also highlight the historical focus on learning in a few model species that has left an information gap in our knowledge for most species reared at wildlife hospitals.