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Bird-Catching. - Song of Birds

the birds nestle, and agair shoot into their haunts. In some places the birds ledge in deep recesses. The fowler will alight there, disengage himself from the rope, fix it to a stone, and at his leisure collect the booty, fasten it to his girdle, and resume his pendulous seat. At times he will again spring from the rock, and in that attitude, with a fowling-net placed on a staff, catch the old birds that are flying to and from their retreats. When he has finished his dreadful employ, he gives a signal to his friends above, who pull him up, and share his hard-earned profit. The feathers are preserved for exportation: the flesh is partly eaten fresh, but the greater part is dried for winter's provision.

The fowling from below has also its share of danger. The party goes on the expedition in a boat; and when it has attained the base of the precipice, one of the most daring, having fastened a rope about his waist, and furnished himself with a long pole, with an iron hook at one end, either climbs or is thrust up by his companions, who place a pole under his breech, to the next footing spot he can reach. He, by means of the rope, brings up one of the boat's crew; the rest are drawn up in the same manner, and each is furnished with his rope and fowling-staff. They then continue their progress upwards in the same manner, till they arrive at the regions of the birds, and wander about the face of the cliff in search of them. They then act in pairs; one fastens himself to the end of his associate's rope, and, in places where the birds have nestled beneath his footing, he permits himself to be lowered down, depending for his security on the strength of his companion, who has to haul him up again; but it sometimes happens that the person above is overpowered by the weight, and both inevitably perish. They fling the fowl into the boat, which attends their motions, and receives the booty. They often pass seven or eight days in this tremendous employ, and lodge in the crannies which they find in the face of the precipice.

We shall close this division of our work with A CURIOUS ACCOUNT OF THE SONG OF BIRDS. - We introduce the subject by the following poetical quotations; which, we have no doubt, will interest every admirer of nature, and nature's God.

Every copse Deep-tangled, tree irregular, and bush Bending with dewy moisture, o'er the heads Of the coy choristers that lodge within, Are prodigal of harmony. - Each bird, Or high in air, or secret in the shade, Rejoicing, warbles wild his grateful hymn.

Thomson Mallet From branch to branch the smaller birds with song Solace the woods, and spread their painted wings Till even; nor then the solemn nightingale Ceases to warble: in shadiest covert hid, She all the night tunes her soft lays.

Milton.

Again:- -The sweet poet of the vernal groves Melts all the night in strains of am'rous woe.

Armstrong, Again :- When the spring renews the flow'ry field, And warns the pregnant nightingale to build, She seeks the safest shelter of the wood, Where she may trust her little tuneful brood.

Fond of the chosen place, she views it o'er, Sits there, and wanders through the grove no more:

Warbling, she charms it each returning night ;- Rowe.

And gives the pensive mind a calm delight.

The lark, that shuns on lofty boughs to build Her humble nest, sits silent in the field; But if the promise of a cloudless day, (Aurora smiling,) bids her rise and play, Then straight she shews 'twas not for want of voice, Or pow'r to climb, she made so low a choice; Singing she mounts, her airy wings are stretch'd Tow'rds heaven, as if from heav'n her note she fetch'd. Waller. --Birds of sweetest song Attune from native boughs their various lay, And cheer the forest; those of brighter plume With busy pinion skim the glitt'ring wave, Or tempt the sun, ambitious to display Their several merit.

Shenstone.

The Song of Birds is defined, by the Hon. Daines Barrington, to be a succession of three or more different notes, which are continued without interruption, during the same interval, with a musical bar of four crotchets, in an adagio movement, or whilst a pendulum swings four seconds. It is affirmed, that the notes of birds are no more innate than language in man, and that they depend upon imitation, as far as their organs will enable them to imitate the sounds which they have frequent opportunities of hearing: and their adhering so steadily, even in a wild state, to the same song, is owing to the nestling attending only to the instruction of the parent bird, whilst they disregard the notes of all others that may be singing around them. Birds in a wild state do not usually sing above ten weeks in the year; whereas birds that have plenty of food in a cage, sing the greatest part of the year: the female of no species of birds ever sings. This is a wise provision, because her song would discover her nest. In the same manner, we may account for her inferiority of plumage. The faculty of singing is confined to the cock birds; and accordingly Mr. Hunter, in dissecting birds of several species, found the mus