9 
So our homes in the boughs 
Made fim think of the house, 
And the Swallow, to help him invent, 
Revealed the best way 
To economise clay, 
And bricks to combine with cement. 
The knowledge withal 
Of the carpenter’s awl 
Is drawn from the Nuthatch’s bill ; 
And the Sand Martin’s pains 
In the hazel-clad lanes, 
Instructed the mason to drill. 
Is there one of the arts 
More dear to men’s hearts ? 
To the bird’s inspiration they owe it, 
For the Nightingale first 
Sweet music rehearsed, 
Prima-donna, Composer, and Poet. 
The Owl’s dark retreats 
Showed sages the sweets 
Of brooding, to spin, or unravel 
Fine webs in one’s brain, 
Philosophical— vain ; 
The Swallows,—the pleasures of travel. 
Who chirped in such strain 
Of Greece, Italy, Spain, 
And Egypt, that men, when they heard, 
Were mad to fly forth 
From the nests in the North, 
And follow—the tail of the Bird. 
Besides it is true 
To our wisdom is due 
The knowledge of Sciences all ; 
And chiefly, those rare 
Metaphysics of Air 
Men “ Meteorology ” call. 
And men in their words 
Acknowledge the Birds’ 
Erudition in weather and star, 
For they say, ‘* Twill be dry— 
The Swall.w is high,” 
Or, ‘* Rain, for the Chough is afar.” 
