680 APPENDIX. 



greater lofs when we attempt to mark their notes 

 in mufical characters, which we can fo readily ap- 

 ply to fuch as we can diftinguifh with precifion. 



The third, however, and unfurmountable diffi- 

 culty is, that the intervals ufed by birds are com- 

 monly lb minute, that we cannot judge at all of 

 them from the more grofs intervals into which we 

 divide our mufical octave. 



It mould therefore be recollected, by thofe who 

 have contended that the Greeks and Romans were 

 acquainted with fuch more minute intervals of the 

 octave, that they muft infill the ancients had organs 

 of fenfation, with which their degenerate pofterity 

 are totally unprovided. 



Though we cannot attain the more delicate and 

 imperceptible intervals in the fong of birds *, yet 

 many of them are capable of whittling tunes with 

 our more grofs intervals, as is well known by the 

 common inftances of piping bullfinches -f, and Ca- 

 nary birds. 



This, however, arifes from mere imitation of 

 what they hear when taken early from the neft ; 

 for if the inftrument from which they learn it is 



* There have been inftances indeed of perfons who could 

 whittle the notes of birds, but thefe are two rare to be argued 

 from. 



f Thefe bullfinches alfo form a fmall article of com- 

 merce, and are chiefly brought from the neighbourhood of 

 Cologne. 



out 



