134 BIRDS AND MAN 



more attention and give more pleasure than most 

 natural objects, that my mind was occupied in 

 this connection ; for here it seemed to me that the 

 effect was similar to that produced on the mind 

 by sweet human-like tones in bird music. In 

 other words, a very great if not the principal charm 

 of the flower was to be traced to the human associa- 

 tions of its colouring ; and this was, in some cases, 

 more than all its other attractions, including beauty 

 of form, purity and brilliance of colour, and the 

 harmonious arrangement of colours ; and, finally, 

 fragrance, where such a quality existed. 



We see, then, that there is an intimate connec- 

 tion between the two subjects — human associations 

 in the colouring of flowers and in the voices of 

 birds ; and that in both cases this association 

 constitutes, or is a principal element in, the ex- 

 pression. This connection, and the fact that the 

 present subject was suggested and appeared almost 

 an inevitable outcome of the one last discussed, 

 must be my excuse for introducing a chapter on 

 flowers in a book on birds — or birds and man. But 

 an excuse is hardly needed. It must strike most 

 readers that a great fault of books on birds is, 

 that there is too much about birds in them, conse- 

 quently that a chapter about something else, which 



