This bird
refuses nothing,--insects,--little birds, nothing goes amiss; and often-
times one sees it on the sheep's back,* apparently teazing it, though
really freeing it from troublesome insects.
refuses nothing,--insects,--little birds, nothing goes amiss; and often-
times one sees it on the sheep's back,* apparently teazing it, though
really freeing it from troublesome insects.
Childrens - The Creation
What the Lion is among
the beast of the forest, such is the Eagle with the birds of the air.
He is emphatically the king of the birds. Linnajus has distinguished
several species of this family; such as the Golden Eagle, the Common
Eagle, the Sea Eagle; and we will just consider these a little
separately.
The Golden Eagle. This is the noblest of this noble family, the
expansion of its wings being seven feet, and its length three feet from
its beak to its tail. The body is a dark brown, beautifully shaded.
This species is found in Ireland (you remember Lugnaquilla,* in the
glen of Imale) and "Wales. The Eagle is frequently referred to in
the word of God ; and some of the illustrations drawn from it I will
mention in my next letter.
The Common Eagle. This species is found in the northern parts of
* In Irish " the Eagle's wing. " The elevation of Lugnaquilla is 3,700 feet.
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THE CREATION.
England and Scotland. They seldom come into the low countries,
for they love the mountain. The flight of the Eagle is supposed to
be higher than that of any other bird, and its vision more acute.
The sense of smell, in the whole of this order, is very delicate.
The Sea Eagle. This bird lives near the sea, and is the deadly
enemy of fish that swim near the surface, on which it darts (like the
gannet) with the swiftness of lightning.
The Falcon. Next in importance to the Eagle, is the Falcon, of
which there are several species; as the Ger-Falcon, the Peregrine
Falcon, &c. Falconry, some centuries ago, was in general use among
the nobility, as I have before mentioned; and the tameness and
obedience of these birds was wonderful; for though they were free--
absolutely free when loosed--yet having captured the prize for which
they were sent, they returned with it to their owners.
The Ger-Falcon. This is the largest of this family; the beak is
yellow and much hooked, the throat white, the plumage of the back
brown. It is found in the northern districts of Scotland.
The Peregrine Falcon is found in Scotland and Wales. It is much
like the Ger-Falcon.
The Buzzard. This bird is well known in our woods. It is a lazy,
inactive bird, remaining often on the same perch all day. It is about
four or five feet from wing to wing.
The Kite. The forked tail distinguishes this active bird, which
seems ever on the wing. It is rather larger than the Buzzard. Lord
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Bacon used to say, that when the Kite flew high, the weather would
be fine; but perhaps this is in general true of the flight of all birds.
The Goshawk. This is rather larger than the buzzard; but it is far
more active, and darts on its prey with exceeding impetuosity.
The Sparrow Hawk. This, though small, is indeed a bird of prey ;
and its screech in the woods fills one with very different emotions
from the plaintive cooing of the dove, or song of the nightingale.
This bird was in high estimation among the Egyptians; and their
god Osiris was worshipped under this emblem.
Third Genus. --Strix. --The Owl. This genus is confined to the
varied family which gives it its name j they are all birds of night.
The farmer loves to see their white wings skim his fields in the
twilight: therefore the Owl is not to be despised, but looked upon as
the farmer's friend. There are twelve species of this family.
The Eagle Owl. This bird almost equals the Eagle in size. The
head and whole body are beautifully varied with lines and spots,
black and brown. The wings are long, and tail short. This principal
species is found only in mountainous districts. He scorns mice, or
such little prey, and feeds on hares and other game.
The Horned Owl. This is a very odd and singular branch of the
family. Its horns, which distinguish it from all others, it raises or
depresses at pleasure. They consist of six feathers in each horn,
about an inch in height, yellow and black. The horned owl is found
in Wales, Cheshire, and the north of England.
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THE CREATION'.
The White Owl. This is commonly called the barn owl, and is the
best known of any of this family. At times, it snores and hisses, and
often screams dreadfully. You remember them in the avenue at
Rosanna, near Wicklow.
The Ivy or Screech Owl. This bird is the dread of the superstitious;
and if it flies by the window at night, attracted by the light, and
utters its hideous screech, it is considered a most sorrowful omen; but
all these feelings are wrong--the Christian has nothing to do with
omens; he has to do with the word of God, and that only--this unfolds
the future to him as filled with brightness to the righteous, and with
all terror to the wicked. The screech owl is mentioned in Isaiah
xxxiv. 14, and in the margin is called the " night monster," and is
among the birds that are prophesied of as building their nests in the
ruins of Idumea.
Fourth Genus. --Lanius. --Comprising the Shrike and Wood-chat.
The Butcher-bird is about the size of the blackbird; its bill is about
an inch long, and is hooked ; its toes are differently formed from those
of other birds of prey, so that naturalists have looked on the butcher-
bird as the link between the carnivorous and granivorous; that is,
between the birds that feed on flesh and those that feed on grain;
and thus its habits and food, as is always the case in God's
creation, are in conformity to its structure. The butcher-bird is very
attentive to its young, and retains the family relationship even after
the young can provide for themselves.
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SECOND ORDER.
Pica, or Pies.
Birds of the Pie kind are distinguished by a bill that seems formed
for cleaving,--legs short and strong,--bodies slender. They live on
all sorts of food, and generally breed in trees. The order Pica, com-
prises upwards of twenty-six genera; viz. the Toucan, the Motmot,
the Parrot family, in great variety, the Hornbill, the Ani, the Wattle-
bird, the Crow, Rook, Raven, Jackdaw, Jay, Roller, Oriole, Grackle,
Bird of Paradise, Barlet, Curucui, Cuckoo, Magpie, King-fisher, also
all the beautiful Humming-bird family, and a variety of others. I will
name some of the principal.
Rhamphastos. --The Toucan. This family are known by their bill,
which is enormous, sometimes much longer than their head ; it is con-
vex, and serrated, or jagged like a saw, at the edges. The beak is
very thin, or its weight would destroy the equipoise of the bird. The
chaps are a bright yellow, except the sides, which are a livid red.
The colours of the Toucan are beautiful;--black, red, and yellow. In
shape and size the Toucan and the jackdaw are something alike; it is
an inoffensive bird and easily tamed. It is a native of South America,
and is much esteemed by the natives, both for its plumage and as food.
Genus Psittacus. --The Parrot. There is a great variety in this
family,--forty-seven species, comprising the Maccaw, the largest of
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THE CREATION.
the genus, approaching the raven in size; the Cockatoo, distinguished
by its beautiful crest.
The Parrot, properly so called; the Lory, which is chiefly white,
and the Parakeet, which is the smallest of all the family, some being
not much larger than a lark; of this last species is that beautiful little
tribe called the Love-bird, so named from the strong attachment they
manifest to each other.
The distinguishing character of this genus is that the bill is hooked;
the upper mandible of which is moveable. The tongue is fleshy,
obtuse and entire; the feet are fitted for climbing, with two toes
before and two behind, and these they use in walking and eating,
with singular adroitness.
Though this beautiful bird is a native of other climes, yet it may
be said to be almost naturalized in England; not that it is so, for it
is always a prisoner.
The beauty of the plumage of this family, and their peculiar power
of imitating the human voice, has ranked the parrot as the greatest
favourite of all foreign birds ever brought to this country. When in
flocks, as I have seen them in South America, they are very noisy
and seem quarrelsome; but this may not be the case. It is said by
naturalists, that when they descend upon a field for grain, they
have always a watchman, who sits on a neighbouring tree, and if he
sees an enemy coming he sounds an alarm,--and the flock is soon gone.
Genus Corvus. --Comprising the Raven, Crow, Jackdaw, and many
others.
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The Ravm. This is the largest bird of the crow kind. The ex-
pansion of its wings is four feet. The raven is found in all climes;
and its age is said at times to reach one hundred years, some say more.
It sustains equally the warmth of the sun at the equator, and the
cold at Spitsbergen, only in the latter clime its plumage is a snowy
white. It is easily tamed. It feeds on every thing. The Scripture
speaks of the raven, not only in connexion with the ark, but also as
the instrument employed by the Lord to support the prophet; " I have
commanded the ravens to feed thee. " (1 Kings xvii. 4--6. ) This may
account for the veneration paid to this bird in some countries: in
Sweden no one dares to touch it.
The Crow. This bird must not be confounded with the rook; for
though very similar in appearance, they are altogether different in
habits: the crow feeding on carrion and all putrid offal, the rook on
worms, grubs, caterpillars, &c. The crow is an enemy to the farmer,
and visits his farm-yard to destroy; and if the hen is absent, will steal
away the chickens. The rook is the farmer's friend, and clears his
fields of enemies. In king Henry the Eighth's time there was an Act
of Parliament against crows, and each village, for ten years, was to do
what it could to extirpate them. Still they are not without use;
indeed, it is never wise to say this of any thing that God has made,
for the wisest naturalist knows, comparatively, but little of the economy
of the great living family of creation. The wings of the crow are
about two feet in expansion.
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THE CREATION.
The Hooded Crow is a bird of passage, and visits England in the
beginning of winter, and leaves it with the woodcock; in Scotland it
stays and breeds the whole year. The upper part of the body is
covered with glossy bluish feathers. It is said to feed on insects, but
if it is the same as the Scald Crow of the Irish bogs, the poor peasant
will tell you, that it will, if possible, carry off his little brood of ducks,
night after night, or, indeed, any thing it can master.
The Rook is something of the size of the crow, but there is a marked
distinction, not only in its habits, but in its bill, which is bare of fea-
thers to its eye; and this because it has to grub deep for its food
in the earth. It is very pleasant in the evening, to see them tran-
quilly sailing home with their sonorous note, in sympathy with all
around. They seem to live in happy fraternity; but strangers may
not intrude into their community, or they will be soon expelled. Our
poet Cowper, who always writes in the simplicity of nature, thus
speaks of this well-known family:--
" Nature inanimate employs sweet sounds,
But animated nature sweeter still,
To soothe and satisfy the human ear:
Ten thousand warblers cheer the day, and one
The live long night; nor those alone, whose notes
Nice fingered art must emulate in vain,
But cawing Rooks, and Kites, that swim sublime
In still repeated circles, screaming loud,
The Jay, the Pie, and e'en the boding Owl,
That hails the rising moon, have charms for me. "
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The Jackdaw is of this family. He is not a very favourite bird,
being considered of a thievish disposition. He feeds on insects, but
also on grain, and is rather dreaded than welcomed by the farmer.
The Jay. The plumage of this bird is more beautiful than that of
most of the British birds: the forehead white, striped with black;
the head covered with long feathers, which it can raise or depress at
pleasure; the neck, breast, back, and belly are of a faint purple tinged
with grey; and the wings are brilliant, with bars of blue, black, and
white. The jay is a great enemy to fruit gardens, and it will some-
times kill small birds.
The Magpie. The plumage of this bird is beautiful, and its tail
graceful; but it seems vain, ambitious, and quarrelsome.
This bird
refuses nothing,--insects,--little birds, nothing goes amiss; and often-
times one sees it on the sheep's back,* apparently teazing it, though
really freeing it from troublesome insects. Thus, even the magpie
has its use in creation; and let us at least learn a lesson from it,--
" that no outward attraction can compensate for a quarrelsome, un-
kind, teazing temper:" far better to be plain and amiable, than beautiful
and cross.
Genus Paradisia; comprising a variety of species of this most
beautiful family.
* The Magpie must not be too hastily condemned in this, for even the favourite
Rook does the same thing; and the real object is not to teaze, but to feed on the
insects that are tormenting the animal.
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THE CREATION.
The Bird of Paradise. Though many of the feathered tribes are
beautiful, yet this race surpasses all the rest. The most remarkable
of this family has his whole body covered with plumage of a rich
carmine; in size he is like the blackbird. The birds of Paradise
abound in the Molucca Islands, and rove amid the spicy groves in
inconceivable beauty. The size of this bird varies according to its
species, some being as large as a pigeon, others not larger than a
thrush. Its plumage is much esteemed by the natives, who find ready
purchasers in the Europeans who visit those islands. There used to
be strange fables about this bird, " that it lived on the air, and never
rested, and thus, always on the wing, it had no need of legs. " To
encourage this belief, the natives had a method of so removing the
legs that the deception might continue; but as travellers became
acquainted with the islands, seeing them seated on the branches of
trees, gave convincing proof, that, like other birds, they rested when
necessity required. Most of this family have two beautiful feathery
filaments, extending far beyond the other feathers of their tail, bearded
at the end. The golden-throated bird of Paradise, though he is desti-
tute of this appendage, has it amply compensated by several beautiful
feathers extending from the head nearly to the tail. The flight of the
bird of Paradise is very swift; they are birds of passage, and visit the
Spice Islands in August. In storms and tempests, accompanied with
lightning, they are seldom seen.
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Genus Cuculus. --The Cuckoo. This is a bird of passage, and
comes to us in the spring. Its note is most welcome:--
" The school-boy wandering through the wood
To pull the primrose gay,
Starts the new voice of spring to hear,
And imitates thy lay. " Logan.
In size the cuckoo is rather larger than the blackbird. Its plumage
is dark-brown, with stripes on the back, and a few light spots on the
head. The feathers of the thighs almost cover the feet. Though the
note of the cuckoo is most welcome; yet the bird itself is no great
favourite. It lays its eggs in the nests of other birds; and this foster-
child, it is said, as soon as it can, turns the rightful offspring from the
house; and so disturbs the domestic peace of what would otherwise
have been " a happy family? A lesson of no mean import may be
gathered from this, " never to intrude to injure. "
Genus Alcedo. --The King-fisher. This bird is well known on the banks
of some of our rivers, where it excavates a home for its young, which it
flies into in time of danger. It unites in itself the rapacious qualities of
the birds of prey--the love of water of the aquatic fowl--the beautiful
plumage of the peacock, and delicacy of tints of the humming-bird--
short legs of the swallow, and the bill of the crow. The ancients called
this "the Halcyon bird" and supposed that it built its nest on the
waters, which were always still until the brood was hatched. This
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THE CREATION.
gave rise to the time of tranquillity being called " Halcyon days;" and
thus the word is used in our language to this day.
In size, the king-fisher is between the lark and blackbird. It is
very swift on the wing. The parent birds, in the season of incubation,
are most affectionate; and the male bird supplies the mother with food
most assiduously.
Genus Merops. --The Bee-eater. This bird is shaped like the king-
fisher, and is of the same size as the blackbird: indeed in many things
it is like the Halcyon bird. It has, however, nothing to do with fish-
ing ; but, as its name implies, feeds on bees and other insects. It is
rarely seen in England; but in Italy and Crete; and the last place is
its home.
Genus Trochilus. --This is the most diminutive of all the feathered
tribes, and numbers a great variety of species.
The Humming Bird. These birds vary in size from that of a small
wren to something larger than a humble-bee. I have seen them in
South America most beautiful. Linnams enumerates twenty species
of this family. They were unknown until America was discovered;
and seem almost confined to the southern part of the western hemi-
sphere.
The distinguishing character of this beautiful family, is, that the
beak is subulated, and terminates in a fine delicate tube. The tongue
is filiform, and rendered tubular by two threads. The feet are adapted
for walking. I remember once having a beautiful little bird of this
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interesting family left as the most perfect skeleton you can imagine,
by a number of ants that had somehow got into my drawers: the
delicacy of the little frame was beyond any thing you can conceive.
The plumage of all this family is very beautiful; and their nests the
perfection of symmetry; and these rest upon, or are suspended from
the branches of trees. In some species of this interesting race, the eggs
are about the size of a pea, and the infant brood not larger than the
blue fly.
There are many more birds in this Order; but as I have named
some of the principal genera, we will pass on to the next Order.
THIRD ORDER*--ANSERES.
THIRTEEN GENERA. --SEVERAL SPECIES.
Comprising, principally, the Swan, the Goose, (from whence the Order takes its name,)
the Duck, Teal, Albatross, Pelican, Tropic Bird, Gull, and many others.
Birds of this family have smooth bills covered with skin, which are
highly sensitive at the point, and which are furnished with small pro-
cesses along their sides to serve as strainers of their food. Their legs
are short; their feet, formed for swimming, are connected by mem-
branes. They seem almost to live on the water; but they always
breed on the land.
? This Order, Dr. Latham has strikingly called Palmipedes, from the Latin, for
hands and feet; it comprises the web-footed birds.
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THE CREATION.
Genus Anas ; comprising the Swan, Goose, Duck, Teal, &c.
The Swan. This beautiful and majestic bird is wild in high northern
regions. In the summer it visits Lapland. The wild swan is of an
ash colour, and is far smaller than the tame. The swan was in great
repute with the ancients, both for song and food; but of its song we
know nothing; so suppose that there must be some mystical meaning
intended; and for food it is rarely used. Its appearance is beautiful
on streams of water, where it swims as if conscious that it was among
the largest of birds. Its down and quills are very valuable. The
longevity of the swan is great, reaching often to a hundred years.
The Goose. The bill of the birds of this family is distinct from that
of all others of the feathered tribes; in other birds it is something
like a wedge; in the goose it is flat and broad; but it is just adapted
to skim the lakes and ponds, and to take from them the mantling
weeds that grow thereon. We are so familiar with the sight of this
family, that it need not be further described than to remark--its flesh
is good for food -- its feathers for beds -- and its wing-quills for
writing.
The wild goose is an annual visitant to our island, coming to us in
the winter, and going northward again in the spring.
The Duck. This bird is familiar to us in every part of England;
there is a variety of species of it. The Wild Duck, the Tame, the
Velvet, the Black, the Golden-eye, and many others,--besides Teal
and Wigeon. The characters of the family are--the beak is shorter
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in proportion than that of the goose, and the legs also ; but the feet
are a trifle longer. The eggs of ducks are at times hatched under
fowls, and the foster-mother trembles as she sees her little family
spring by instinct to the pond.
The Wild Duck abounds in the fens of Lincolnshire, and many
thousands are sent up annually to the London markets.
Genus Mergus; comprising the Goosander, Merganser, Diver,
Smew, &c.
The Goosander. This bird approaches to the wild goose; and fre-
quents, in very cold winters, our rivers and lakes. It feeds entirely
on fish.
Genus Procellaria. --The Petrel. The bill of this bird is straight,
and hooked at the extremity; the legs are naked up to the feathers of
the belly. The Petrel feeds on blubber, fish, and sea-offal; and sin-
gular to say, it will reject what it has eaten when attacked at its
enemy. The Stormy Petrel, as it is called, appears in general before
high winds. Once, I remember, off St. Domingo, a hurricane passed
within a few miles of us, and many of the sea-birds flew around our
vessel, crying and wailing, most piteously, and some dropped on the
decks. The sky and sea were dreadful to look upon; but the hurri-
cane passed us, and we only heard of its ravages. (Psalm cvii. 23,31. )
Genus Diomedea. --The Albatross. This may be called the Eagle
of the waters, for it has no equal among the aquatic or sea fowls. It
abounds in the Southern Ocean, and about Cape Horn, and the Cape
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THE CREATION.
of Good Hope. The body is large; and the expansion of the wing
from six to eight, and at times even ten feet; the bill, which is
yellow, is nearly six inches long, and terminates in a hooked point
.
The top of the head is brown; the belly white. It preys on the
wing; and, unlike the eagle, it seizes on every thing, fish and fowl,
alike. The Albatross lives, however, in friendly relations with the
penguin; and they frequently build near each other in some remote
and desolate spot.
Genus Pelicanus. --The Pelican. There are a great many of this
family. In shape the Pelican is like a swan, but larger. Its neck is
long; and its toes all connected by webs. Its chief peculiarity is its
enormous bill: and what may be called the fish well; this is a
large pouch, which, when distended, will hold fifteen quarts of water.
The bill is generally one foot and a quarter long, and the pouch
extends its whole length. An ancient writer says this bag will hold
enough fish to dine six hungry men. This singular bird, when he
goes fishing, does not eat his prey, but fills its well first; and then,
when he has enough, retires and gets his meal at leisure. Some natu-
ralists say that the Pelican can be tamed to labour for man; and as
the Falcon is used to catch game on the land, so the Pelican, the Fal-
con of the waters, will go out in the morning, and return in the evening
with its pouch full of plunder, part of which it will deposit at its
owner's feet, and part retain for itself.
The Cormorant. This bird is so voracious, that its name has become
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a proverb for gluttony. The expansion of its wings is four feet.
The plumage of this strange bird is beautiful:--the wings are of a
deep green, edged with black, and glossed with blue. In China it is
tamed, and used as a fisher; but a ring is fastened round its neck, for
it may not be trusted not to swallow what it catches.
The Gannet. This bird is rather less than our tame goose; but its
wings are longer. The bill is six inches long, and jagged at its edges.
It has a little well, like the pelican's. The colour is white. They
are found principally in the north; but I have seen them off the coast
of Spain. They dart from a great height on fish, with the velocity of
a musket-ball. The herring is their chief prey.
the beast of the forest, such is the Eagle with the birds of the air.
He is emphatically the king of the birds. Linnajus has distinguished
several species of this family; such as the Golden Eagle, the Common
Eagle, the Sea Eagle; and we will just consider these a little
separately.
The Golden Eagle. This is the noblest of this noble family, the
expansion of its wings being seven feet, and its length three feet from
its beak to its tail. The body is a dark brown, beautifully shaded.
This species is found in Ireland (you remember Lugnaquilla,* in the
glen of Imale) and "Wales. The Eagle is frequently referred to in
the word of God ; and some of the illustrations drawn from it I will
mention in my next letter.
The Common Eagle. This species is found in the northern parts of
* In Irish " the Eagle's wing. " The elevation of Lugnaquilla is 3,700 feet.
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THE CREATION.
England and Scotland. They seldom come into the low countries,
for they love the mountain. The flight of the Eagle is supposed to
be higher than that of any other bird, and its vision more acute.
The sense of smell, in the whole of this order, is very delicate.
The Sea Eagle. This bird lives near the sea, and is the deadly
enemy of fish that swim near the surface, on which it darts (like the
gannet) with the swiftness of lightning.
The Falcon. Next in importance to the Eagle, is the Falcon, of
which there are several species; as the Ger-Falcon, the Peregrine
Falcon, &c. Falconry, some centuries ago, was in general use among
the nobility, as I have before mentioned; and the tameness and
obedience of these birds was wonderful; for though they were free--
absolutely free when loosed--yet having captured the prize for which
they were sent, they returned with it to their owners.
The Ger-Falcon. This is the largest of this family; the beak is
yellow and much hooked, the throat white, the plumage of the back
brown. It is found in the northern districts of Scotland.
The Peregrine Falcon is found in Scotland and Wales. It is much
like the Ger-Falcon.
The Buzzard. This bird is well known in our woods. It is a lazy,
inactive bird, remaining often on the same perch all day. It is about
four or five feet from wing to wing.
The Kite. The forked tail distinguishes this active bird, which
seems ever on the wing. It is rather larger than the Buzzard. Lord
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Bacon used to say, that when the Kite flew high, the weather would
be fine; but perhaps this is in general true of the flight of all birds.
The Goshawk. This is rather larger than the buzzard; but it is far
more active, and darts on its prey with exceeding impetuosity.
The Sparrow Hawk. This, though small, is indeed a bird of prey ;
and its screech in the woods fills one with very different emotions
from the plaintive cooing of the dove, or song of the nightingale.
This bird was in high estimation among the Egyptians; and their
god Osiris was worshipped under this emblem.
Third Genus. --Strix. --The Owl. This genus is confined to the
varied family which gives it its name j they are all birds of night.
The farmer loves to see their white wings skim his fields in the
twilight: therefore the Owl is not to be despised, but looked upon as
the farmer's friend. There are twelve species of this family.
The Eagle Owl. This bird almost equals the Eagle in size. The
head and whole body are beautifully varied with lines and spots,
black and brown. The wings are long, and tail short. This principal
species is found only in mountainous districts. He scorns mice, or
such little prey, and feeds on hares and other game.
The Horned Owl. This is a very odd and singular branch of the
family. Its horns, which distinguish it from all others, it raises or
depresses at pleasure. They consist of six feathers in each horn,
about an inch in height, yellow and black. The horned owl is found
in Wales, Cheshire, and the north of England.
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THE CREATION'.
The White Owl. This is commonly called the barn owl, and is the
best known of any of this family. At times, it snores and hisses, and
often screams dreadfully. You remember them in the avenue at
Rosanna, near Wicklow.
The Ivy or Screech Owl. This bird is the dread of the superstitious;
and if it flies by the window at night, attracted by the light, and
utters its hideous screech, it is considered a most sorrowful omen; but
all these feelings are wrong--the Christian has nothing to do with
omens; he has to do with the word of God, and that only--this unfolds
the future to him as filled with brightness to the righteous, and with
all terror to the wicked. The screech owl is mentioned in Isaiah
xxxiv. 14, and in the margin is called the " night monster," and is
among the birds that are prophesied of as building their nests in the
ruins of Idumea.
Fourth Genus. --Lanius. --Comprising the Shrike and Wood-chat.
The Butcher-bird is about the size of the blackbird; its bill is about
an inch long, and is hooked ; its toes are differently formed from those
of other birds of prey, so that naturalists have looked on the butcher-
bird as the link between the carnivorous and granivorous; that is,
between the birds that feed on flesh and those that feed on grain;
and thus its habits and food, as is always the case in God's
creation, are in conformity to its structure. The butcher-bird is very
attentive to its young, and retains the family relationship even after
the young can provide for themselves.
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SECOND ORDER.
Pica, or Pies.
Birds of the Pie kind are distinguished by a bill that seems formed
for cleaving,--legs short and strong,--bodies slender. They live on
all sorts of food, and generally breed in trees. The order Pica, com-
prises upwards of twenty-six genera; viz. the Toucan, the Motmot,
the Parrot family, in great variety, the Hornbill, the Ani, the Wattle-
bird, the Crow, Rook, Raven, Jackdaw, Jay, Roller, Oriole, Grackle,
Bird of Paradise, Barlet, Curucui, Cuckoo, Magpie, King-fisher, also
all the beautiful Humming-bird family, and a variety of others. I will
name some of the principal.
Rhamphastos. --The Toucan. This family are known by their bill,
which is enormous, sometimes much longer than their head ; it is con-
vex, and serrated, or jagged like a saw, at the edges. The beak is
very thin, or its weight would destroy the equipoise of the bird. The
chaps are a bright yellow, except the sides, which are a livid red.
The colours of the Toucan are beautiful;--black, red, and yellow. In
shape and size the Toucan and the jackdaw are something alike; it is
an inoffensive bird and easily tamed. It is a native of South America,
and is much esteemed by the natives, both for its plumage and as food.
Genus Psittacus. --The Parrot. There is a great variety in this
family,--forty-seven species, comprising the Maccaw, the largest of
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THE CREATION.
the genus, approaching the raven in size; the Cockatoo, distinguished
by its beautiful crest.
The Parrot, properly so called; the Lory, which is chiefly white,
and the Parakeet, which is the smallest of all the family, some being
not much larger than a lark; of this last species is that beautiful little
tribe called the Love-bird, so named from the strong attachment they
manifest to each other.
The distinguishing character of this genus is that the bill is hooked;
the upper mandible of which is moveable. The tongue is fleshy,
obtuse and entire; the feet are fitted for climbing, with two toes
before and two behind, and these they use in walking and eating,
with singular adroitness.
Though this beautiful bird is a native of other climes, yet it may
be said to be almost naturalized in England; not that it is so, for it
is always a prisoner.
The beauty of the plumage of this family, and their peculiar power
of imitating the human voice, has ranked the parrot as the greatest
favourite of all foreign birds ever brought to this country. When in
flocks, as I have seen them in South America, they are very noisy
and seem quarrelsome; but this may not be the case. It is said by
naturalists, that when they descend upon a field for grain, they
have always a watchman, who sits on a neighbouring tree, and if he
sees an enemy coming he sounds an alarm,--and the flock is soon gone.
Genus Corvus. --Comprising the Raven, Crow, Jackdaw, and many
others.
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The Ravm. This is the largest bird of the crow kind. The ex-
pansion of its wings is four feet. The raven is found in all climes;
and its age is said at times to reach one hundred years, some say more.
It sustains equally the warmth of the sun at the equator, and the
cold at Spitsbergen, only in the latter clime its plumage is a snowy
white. It is easily tamed. It feeds on every thing. The Scripture
speaks of the raven, not only in connexion with the ark, but also as
the instrument employed by the Lord to support the prophet; " I have
commanded the ravens to feed thee. " (1 Kings xvii. 4--6. ) This may
account for the veneration paid to this bird in some countries: in
Sweden no one dares to touch it.
The Crow. This bird must not be confounded with the rook; for
though very similar in appearance, they are altogether different in
habits: the crow feeding on carrion and all putrid offal, the rook on
worms, grubs, caterpillars, &c. The crow is an enemy to the farmer,
and visits his farm-yard to destroy; and if the hen is absent, will steal
away the chickens. The rook is the farmer's friend, and clears his
fields of enemies. In king Henry the Eighth's time there was an Act
of Parliament against crows, and each village, for ten years, was to do
what it could to extirpate them. Still they are not without use;
indeed, it is never wise to say this of any thing that God has made,
for the wisest naturalist knows, comparatively, but little of the economy
of the great living family of creation. The wings of the crow are
about two feet in expansion.
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THE CREATION.
The Hooded Crow is a bird of passage, and visits England in the
beginning of winter, and leaves it with the woodcock; in Scotland it
stays and breeds the whole year. The upper part of the body is
covered with glossy bluish feathers. It is said to feed on insects, but
if it is the same as the Scald Crow of the Irish bogs, the poor peasant
will tell you, that it will, if possible, carry off his little brood of ducks,
night after night, or, indeed, any thing it can master.
The Rook is something of the size of the crow, but there is a marked
distinction, not only in its habits, but in its bill, which is bare of fea-
thers to its eye; and this because it has to grub deep for its food
in the earth. It is very pleasant in the evening, to see them tran-
quilly sailing home with their sonorous note, in sympathy with all
around. They seem to live in happy fraternity; but strangers may
not intrude into their community, or they will be soon expelled. Our
poet Cowper, who always writes in the simplicity of nature, thus
speaks of this well-known family:--
" Nature inanimate employs sweet sounds,
But animated nature sweeter still,
To soothe and satisfy the human ear:
Ten thousand warblers cheer the day, and one
The live long night; nor those alone, whose notes
Nice fingered art must emulate in vain,
But cawing Rooks, and Kites, that swim sublime
In still repeated circles, screaming loud,
The Jay, the Pie, and e'en the boding Owl,
That hails the rising moon, have charms for me. "
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The Jackdaw is of this family. He is not a very favourite bird,
being considered of a thievish disposition. He feeds on insects, but
also on grain, and is rather dreaded than welcomed by the farmer.
The Jay. The plumage of this bird is more beautiful than that of
most of the British birds: the forehead white, striped with black;
the head covered with long feathers, which it can raise or depress at
pleasure; the neck, breast, back, and belly are of a faint purple tinged
with grey; and the wings are brilliant, with bars of blue, black, and
white. The jay is a great enemy to fruit gardens, and it will some-
times kill small birds.
The Magpie. The plumage of this bird is beautiful, and its tail
graceful; but it seems vain, ambitious, and quarrelsome.
This bird
refuses nothing,--insects,--little birds, nothing goes amiss; and often-
times one sees it on the sheep's back,* apparently teazing it, though
really freeing it from troublesome insects. Thus, even the magpie
has its use in creation; and let us at least learn a lesson from it,--
" that no outward attraction can compensate for a quarrelsome, un-
kind, teazing temper:" far better to be plain and amiable, than beautiful
and cross.
Genus Paradisia; comprising a variety of species of this most
beautiful family.
* The Magpie must not be too hastily condemned in this, for even the favourite
Rook does the same thing; and the real object is not to teaze, but to feed on the
insects that are tormenting the animal.
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THE CREATION.
The Bird of Paradise. Though many of the feathered tribes are
beautiful, yet this race surpasses all the rest. The most remarkable
of this family has his whole body covered with plumage of a rich
carmine; in size he is like the blackbird. The birds of Paradise
abound in the Molucca Islands, and rove amid the spicy groves in
inconceivable beauty. The size of this bird varies according to its
species, some being as large as a pigeon, others not larger than a
thrush. Its plumage is much esteemed by the natives, who find ready
purchasers in the Europeans who visit those islands. There used to
be strange fables about this bird, " that it lived on the air, and never
rested, and thus, always on the wing, it had no need of legs. " To
encourage this belief, the natives had a method of so removing the
legs that the deception might continue; but as travellers became
acquainted with the islands, seeing them seated on the branches of
trees, gave convincing proof, that, like other birds, they rested when
necessity required. Most of this family have two beautiful feathery
filaments, extending far beyond the other feathers of their tail, bearded
at the end. The golden-throated bird of Paradise, though he is desti-
tute of this appendage, has it amply compensated by several beautiful
feathers extending from the head nearly to the tail. The flight of the
bird of Paradise is very swift; they are birds of passage, and visit the
Spice Islands in August. In storms and tempests, accompanied with
lightning, they are seldom seen.
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Genus Cuculus. --The Cuckoo. This is a bird of passage, and
comes to us in the spring. Its note is most welcome:--
" The school-boy wandering through the wood
To pull the primrose gay,
Starts the new voice of spring to hear,
And imitates thy lay. " Logan.
In size the cuckoo is rather larger than the blackbird. Its plumage
is dark-brown, with stripes on the back, and a few light spots on the
head. The feathers of the thighs almost cover the feet. Though the
note of the cuckoo is most welcome; yet the bird itself is no great
favourite. It lays its eggs in the nests of other birds; and this foster-
child, it is said, as soon as it can, turns the rightful offspring from the
house; and so disturbs the domestic peace of what would otherwise
have been " a happy family? A lesson of no mean import may be
gathered from this, " never to intrude to injure. "
Genus Alcedo. --The King-fisher. This bird is well known on the banks
of some of our rivers, where it excavates a home for its young, which it
flies into in time of danger. It unites in itself the rapacious qualities of
the birds of prey--the love of water of the aquatic fowl--the beautiful
plumage of the peacock, and delicacy of tints of the humming-bird--
short legs of the swallow, and the bill of the crow. The ancients called
this "the Halcyon bird" and supposed that it built its nest on the
waters, which were always still until the brood was hatched. This
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THE CREATION.
gave rise to the time of tranquillity being called " Halcyon days;" and
thus the word is used in our language to this day.
In size, the king-fisher is between the lark and blackbird. It is
very swift on the wing. The parent birds, in the season of incubation,
are most affectionate; and the male bird supplies the mother with food
most assiduously.
Genus Merops. --The Bee-eater. This bird is shaped like the king-
fisher, and is of the same size as the blackbird: indeed in many things
it is like the Halcyon bird. It has, however, nothing to do with fish-
ing ; but, as its name implies, feeds on bees and other insects. It is
rarely seen in England; but in Italy and Crete; and the last place is
its home.
Genus Trochilus. --This is the most diminutive of all the feathered
tribes, and numbers a great variety of species.
The Humming Bird. These birds vary in size from that of a small
wren to something larger than a humble-bee. I have seen them in
South America most beautiful. Linnams enumerates twenty species
of this family. They were unknown until America was discovered;
and seem almost confined to the southern part of the western hemi-
sphere.
The distinguishing character of this beautiful family, is, that the
beak is subulated, and terminates in a fine delicate tube. The tongue
is filiform, and rendered tubular by two threads. The feet are adapted
for walking. I remember once having a beautiful little bird of this
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interesting family left as the most perfect skeleton you can imagine,
by a number of ants that had somehow got into my drawers: the
delicacy of the little frame was beyond any thing you can conceive.
The plumage of all this family is very beautiful; and their nests the
perfection of symmetry; and these rest upon, or are suspended from
the branches of trees. In some species of this interesting race, the eggs
are about the size of a pea, and the infant brood not larger than the
blue fly.
There are many more birds in this Order; but as I have named
some of the principal genera, we will pass on to the next Order.
THIRD ORDER*--ANSERES.
THIRTEEN GENERA. --SEVERAL SPECIES.
Comprising, principally, the Swan, the Goose, (from whence the Order takes its name,)
the Duck, Teal, Albatross, Pelican, Tropic Bird, Gull, and many others.
Birds of this family have smooth bills covered with skin, which are
highly sensitive at the point, and which are furnished with small pro-
cesses along their sides to serve as strainers of their food. Their legs
are short; their feet, formed for swimming, are connected by mem-
branes. They seem almost to live on the water; but they always
breed on the land.
? This Order, Dr. Latham has strikingly called Palmipedes, from the Latin, for
hands and feet; it comprises the web-footed birds.
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THE CREATION.
Genus Anas ; comprising the Swan, Goose, Duck, Teal, &c.
The Swan. This beautiful and majestic bird is wild in high northern
regions. In the summer it visits Lapland. The wild swan is of an
ash colour, and is far smaller than the tame. The swan was in great
repute with the ancients, both for song and food; but of its song we
know nothing; so suppose that there must be some mystical meaning
intended; and for food it is rarely used. Its appearance is beautiful
on streams of water, where it swims as if conscious that it was among
the largest of birds. Its down and quills are very valuable. The
longevity of the swan is great, reaching often to a hundred years.
The Goose. The bill of the birds of this family is distinct from that
of all others of the feathered tribes; in other birds it is something
like a wedge; in the goose it is flat and broad; but it is just adapted
to skim the lakes and ponds, and to take from them the mantling
weeds that grow thereon. We are so familiar with the sight of this
family, that it need not be further described than to remark--its flesh
is good for food -- its feathers for beds -- and its wing-quills for
writing.
The wild goose is an annual visitant to our island, coming to us in
the winter, and going northward again in the spring.
The Duck. This bird is familiar to us in every part of England;
there is a variety of species of it. The Wild Duck, the Tame, the
Velvet, the Black, the Golden-eye, and many others,--besides Teal
and Wigeon. The characters of the family are--the beak is shorter
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in proportion than that of the goose, and the legs also ; but the feet
are a trifle longer. The eggs of ducks are at times hatched under
fowls, and the foster-mother trembles as she sees her little family
spring by instinct to the pond.
The Wild Duck abounds in the fens of Lincolnshire, and many
thousands are sent up annually to the London markets.
Genus Mergus; comprising the Goosander, Merganser, Diver,
Smew, &c.
The Goosander. This bird approaches to the wild goose; and fre-
quents, in very cold winters, our rivers and lakes. It feeds entirely
on fish.
Genus Procellaria. --The Petrel. The bill of this bird is straight,
and hooked at the extremity; the legs are naked up to the feathers of
the belly. The Petrel feeds on blubber, fish, and sea-offal; and sin-
gular to say, it will reject what it has eaten when attacked at its
enemy. The Stormy Petrel, as it is called, appears in general before
high winds. Once, I remember, off St. Domingo, a hurricane passed
within a few miles of us, and many of the sea-birds flew around our
vessel, crying and wailing, most piteously, and some dropped on the
decks. The sky and sea were dreadful to look upon; but the hurri-
cane passed us, and we only heard of its ravages. (Psalm cvii. 23,31. )
Genus Diomedea. --The Albatross. This may be called the Eagle
of the waters, for it has no equal among the aquatic or sea fowls. It
abounds in the Southern Ocean, and about Cape Horn, and the Cape
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THE CREATION.
of Good Hope. The body is large; and the expansion of the wing
from six to eight, and at times even ten feet; the bill, which is
yellow, is nearly six inches long, and terminates in a hooked point
.
The top of the head is brown; the belly white. It preys on the
wing; and, unlike the eagle, it seizes on every thing, fish and fowl,
alike. The Albatross lives, however, in friendly relations with the
penguin; and they frequently build near each other in some remote
and desolate spot.
Genus Pelicanus. --The Pelican. There are a great many of this
family. In shape the Pelican is like a swan, but larger. Its neck is
long; and its toes all connected by webs. Its chief peculiarity is its
enormous bill: and what may be called the fish well; this is a
large pouch, which, when distended, will hold fifteen quarts of water.
The bill is generally one foot and a quarter long, and the pouch
extends its whole length. An ancient writer says this bag will hold
enough fish to dine six hungry men. This singular bird, when he
goes fishing, does not eat his prey, but fills its well first; and then,
when he has enough, retires and gets his meal at leisure. Some natu-
ralists say that the Pelican can be tamed to labour for man; and as
the Falcon is used to catch game on the land, so the Pelican, the Fal-
con of the waters, will go out in the morning, and return in the evening
with its pouch full of plunder, part of which it will deposit at its
owner's feet, and part retain for itself.
The Cormorant. This bird is so voracious, that its name has become
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a proverb for gluttony. The expansion of its wings is four feet.
The plumage of this strange bird is beautiful:--the wings are of a
deep green, edged with black, and glossed with blue. In China it is
tamed, and used as a fisher; but a ring is fastened round its neck, for
it may not be trusted not to swallow what it catches.
The Gannet. This bird is rather less than our tame goose; but its
wings are longer. The bill is six inches long, and jagged at its edges.
It has a little well, like the pelican's. The colour is white. They
are found principally in the north; but I have seen them off the coast
of Spain. They dart from a great height on fish, with the velocity of
a musket-ball. The herring is their chief prey.
