of tropical birds, the swarming of bees, the sigh of receding waves. The cone builds and builds a pulsing spiral, a unicorn's horn, rare and marvelous" (The Spiral Dance, 1979). It's as if the unicorn's singing is at once a conical transmission tower and the audio signal that emanates from it. A unicorn's crooning may also sound: like it's not meant for others to hear like a teakettle on the fire like a mother's lullaby over a cradle low and pulsing, from deep in the throat sentimental mournful tender, affectionate emotionally charged like the purring of a kitten gentle, mellow whispery voluptuous like nonsense syllables unforced, spontaneous like the texture of buttermilk Literary accounts of unicorns' soft crooning include: He heard a unicorn make a soft crooning noise. He looked around sharply but couldn't see anything. -- Titanium Ranger, "Ranger Talk" (2006) He blew out a soft sound, the way a unicorn mare comforts a foal. -- Mary Stanton, Unicorns of Balinor: Valley of Fear (1999)