27 



was it not the praise of Hector that he always stood 

 foremost in the battle ? 



As I end off these somewhat discursive remarks, 

 I am mindful of Gray's opinion of Boswell's book on 

 Corsica, which, he says, proves that any fool may 

 write a most valuable book by chance, if he will only 

 tell what he heard and saw with veracity. 



I should like to add one word of caution : Be 

 very careful with what sort of companions you put 

 your Redstarts. They have very little light in them — 

 in fact they will sit and be done to death. I found 

 one poor little chap dead under the seed tray, with his 

 head literally smashed in by a Robin. If you persist 

 in associating Robins and Nightingales with Red- 

 starts it will be the same unless you follow my 

 advice. 



By vSyi.via. 



THROUGHOUT the animal kingdom there is pro- 

 bably no class ot phenomena which has baffled 

 the penetration of scientific men so thoroughly 

 as that which is connected with what is called 

 migration. The habit of setting out on periodical 

 pilgrimages is, from whatever cause, common to mam- 

 mals, reptiles, and fishes ; it is strongly marked among 

 insects ; many butterfiies, for instance, making aston- 

 ishing transmarine excursions ; but it is nowhere so 

 extensive, so interesting, and yet so inexplicable, as 

 among birds, and to these we shall confine our 

 attention in the following article. 



Our unscientific forefathers were wont to ascribe 

 the periodical disappearance of the smaller birds, such 

 as the Swallow and Cuckoo, to their withdrawing, on 

 the approach of cold weather, to out-of-the-way holes 



