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land, Ireland, and North Wales. They frequent thick hedges and low coppices, and generally keep in the middle of the bush, so that they are rarely seen. For weeks together, if undisturbed, it sits upon the same tree, while its enchanting strain may be heard all round to the distance of half a mile. It possesses more variety, harmony, and compass in its voice, than any other bird. Song is so peculiarly the attribute of the Nightingale, that even the female possesses it. In calm weather, in the fine nights of spring, when its voice is heard alone, undisturbed by any other sound, nothing can be more delightful; it then pours forth, in their utmost beauty, all the resources of its incomparable voice.

While the Nightingale is so deservedly famed for its vocal powers, the Red Breast is no less a general favourite, both on account of his sweet and varied song, and of his confiding and sociable habits. The popular ballad of "The Babes of the Wood" has thrown a kind of sacred halo around the Robin, and procured for him an almost inviolable security. The theme of the nursery, and the pet of every one, he is indeed the sacred bird of Britain. In summer he adorns and enlivens the garden and the grove; but it is in winter that he becomes more particu larly domestic. It is then

"He pays to trusted man

His annual visit. Half-afraid, he first

Against the window beats; then, brisk, alights

On the warm hearth; then, hopping o'er the floor,
Eyes all the smiling family askance,

And pecks, and starts, and wonders where he is;
Till more familiar grown, the table crumbs
Attract his slender feet."

'The note of other birds is louder, and their inflexions more capricious, but that of the Red Breast is soft, tender, and well supported, and the more to be valued, as we enjoy it the greatest part of the winter.

The Lark, whether the Sky Lark, the Wood Lark, or the Tit Lark, are all distinguishable from other little birds by the length of their heel. Of these the Sky Lark, or Laverock, is the best known. It differs from the other songsters in that it never perches on trees, and sings while on the wing.

"Up springs the Lark,

Shrill-voiced and loud, the messenger of morn:
Ere yet the shadows fly, he, mounted, sings
Amid the dawning clouds, and from their haunts
Calls up the tuneful nations."

Nothing can be more pleasing than to see it ascending, as it does perpendicularly by successive springs; raising its note as it soars, until it seems lost in the immense heights above us; the note continuing, the bird itself unseen; to see it then descending with a swell as it comes from the clouds, yet sinking by degrees as it approaches its nest the spot where all its affections are centredthe spot that has prompted all this joy. This harmony continues several months, beginning early in the spring, on pairing. In winter they assemble in flocks, when their song forsakes them, and the bird-catchers, in England, destroy them in great numbers for the tables of the luxurious.

The Blackcap, sometimes called the Mock Nightingale, is prized by some for the sweetness of its song. It is about the size of the Redbreast; its plumage on the back is of a greyish-green; the breast and belly of an ashy colour, and the top of its head is black, whence it derives its name.

The Common Wren, next to the Golden Crested Wren, is the smallest of all our British Birds. It is only about four and a half inches in length, and weighs nearly three drachms. Notwithstanding her diminutive size, the Wren is noted for the loudness and sweetness of her note, for the largeness of her nest, and her numerous progeny,— producing often fifteen young ones at a time.

"The little woodland dwarf, the tiny Wren,

That from the root-sprigs trills her ditty clear,-
Of stature most diminutive herself,

Not so her wondrous house; for, strange to tell!
Hers is the largest structure that is formed
By tuneful bill and breast."

The Canary Bird, as its name implies, is a native of the Canary Islands, where, however, it is found of a dusky grey colour, and so different from those usually seen in Europe, that some have even doubted whether it be of the same species. With us they have that variety of colouring usual in all domestic fowls; some white, some mot

tled, some beautifully shaded with green, but most commonly they are of a yellowish white. They are more esteemed for their note than their beauty, having a high piercing pipe, as all of the finch tribe have, continuing for some time in one breath without intermission, then raising it higher and higher by degrees with great variety.

With the Canary may be classed others of the Finch tribe, such as the Gold Finch, the Linnet, the Bull Finch, and others with strong bills and piercing notes, feeding upon grain, and having so strong a resemblance to each other, that they may justly be supposed, as Buffon imagines, to come from the same original. The Goldfinch is one of the most beautiful birds that we possess, and is at the same time one of the most docile and harmonious. The Bullfinch is chiefly remarkable for its capability of being taught to sing and whistle different tunes. The Chaffinch, or Shilfa, resembles the Bullfinch, but it is not so black on the head, nor of so deep a red on the breast, and is conspicuous for a broad bar of white on each wing; its song is agreeable in spring, but in summer it only chirps. The Linnet, though plain in plumage, occupies a high rank among our native warblers, being the lively songster of the furze and "yellow broom," and, in a domestic state, the cheering musician of the lowly cottage.

This list of birds of the Sparrow kind, the most extensive class of the feathered tribe, might be greatly increased; but this our limits will not permit. We shall therefore content ourselves with briefly enumerating a few more of the more common or remarkable.

The Stare, or Starling, bears a near relation to the Blackbird; it has a rough voice, though it is easily taught to speak. The Field-Fare and Red-Wing are insipid and tuneless birds during their short stay with us, but sing delightfully, perched among the forests of maples in the northern climates, their native country. The Chatterers of Bohemia, a very beautiful race of birds, wander in flocks all over Europe, and were formerly considered as a presage of pestilence. The Wheat-ear, or Stone-Chacker, more esteemed for the delicacy of its flesh than for the excellence of its melody, is caught in great numbers in the south of England; one man sometimes taking upwards of

eighty dozen in a day. The Buntings are distinguished by their strong conic bill. Of this tribe the Yellow Hammer is the most familiar, but the most famous is the Ortolan, somewhat less than the former, common in France and Italy, where they are caught in great numbers to fatten for the table. The Whip-poor-Will, confined to America, is noted for its singular cry, so like the rapid and distinct pronunciation of its name as to resemble the voice of a human being. The Swallow has already been noticed in a former volume, but we may remark that the nest of the Esculent Swallow is, in China and the East, esteemed by epicures, when dissolved in chicken-broth, as a great delicacy.

Birds of the Sparrow kind feed on worms, insects, fruit, or grain.

IX.-Birds of the Poultry kind.

UNDER Birds of the Poultry kind are classed the common Cock, the Turkey, the Bustard, the Grouse tribe, the Guinea Hen, the Partridge, the Quail, the Peacock, and the Pheasant.

Modern Naturalists have included the Pigeon in this class, but following the older writers, we have already noticed it under Birds of the Pie kind. The Birds of this class are of all others the most harmless, and the most serviceable to man. They are in general so well known that a very brief notice will be sufficient.

The Cock, originally from Persia, is accounted the oldest companion of man. His gait is proud and commanding, and his plumage various and beautiful. So great is the regularity with which he announces the approach of morning, that in the olden time, cock-crowing was the signal for the commencement of rural labour. He is likewise famed for his courage, which has been cruelly misdirected in many parts of the world. In the present day, however, in this country, cock-fighting is the pastime of only the vulgar and the brutal.

The Turkey is thought by some to have been imported from America, where they are found in large flocks. In its wild state it is said to be more beautiful than when

domesticated; and a new species, lately discovered in the Bay of Honduras, is said to rival the Peacock in the splendour and beauty of its colours.

The Bustard, the largest land-bird that is a native of Britain, is larger than the Turkey, weighing from twentyfive to thirty pounds. What is remarkable about this bird is a large pouch situated in the fore part of the neck, capable of containing several quarts of water-a provision highly necessary for its comfortable existence in the dry and extensive plains which it inhabits. It was once numerous in England, and a native of Scotland; but the extension of agriculture, and the extreme delicacy of its flesh, have greatly thinned the species. It is now almost confined to the county of Norfolk, and very rarely seen in the northern part of the island.

The Wood Grouse, Cock of the Wood, or Capercailzie, in size and beauty was once the noblest of our game birds. It formerly abounded in the pine forests of Scotland, where it is now extinct. An attempt, however, has lately been made to re-introduce it by the importation of a few from Norway. It is of the size of the Turkey, and frequently weighs fourteen pounds. The Black Cock, of which the male is all over black, is about the size of a hen, and only found with us in the Highlands of Scotland; the Grouse is about half as large again as a partridge, and in colour much like that of a wood-cock, but redder; the Ptarmigan is still somewhat less, and is of a pale brown or ash colour in summer, changes to a beautiful grey in autumn, and in winter becomes white as

snow.

"His eagle eye

The Ptarmigan in snow could spy."

All these are distinguishable from other birds of the poultry kind by a naked skin of a scarlet colour above the eyes, in the place, and of the figure of eyebrows.

The Guinea-Hen, from the coast of Guinea, in Africa, is about the size of the common hen, but having longer legs appears much larger. It is of a dark grey colour speckled with white spots, and has a round back with a tail turned downwards like a Partridge.

The Partridge requires no description, being a bird found in every country and in every climate. The Quail

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