BIRDS. 



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INTRODUCTION.* 



THE feathered tribes, as they are emphatically called, have 

 at all times been favourite objects of study to the natural- 

 ist. The beauty of their plumage, the elegance of their forms, the 

 gracefulness of their movements, and above all, the cheerfulness 

 which everywhere surrounds them, tempt his observation, and 

 impart to the thinking mind no small share of that exuberant 

 happiness expressed by the gaiety of their demeanour and the 

 chorus of their song. 



Inhabitants of the air, lightness and activity are the character- 

 istic features of their economy. Some, borne on rapid wing, skim 

 onwards like the meteor's flight, and are by far the swiftest of 

 the animal creation. Some soar aloft, till, lost to human vision, 

 only their voice is heard like music from the sky. Others fre- 

 quent the woods, making the trees their residence, where, as they 

 hop from spray to spray, they pour forth streams of melody ; or, 

 gorgeously attired, glancing like fairy visions in the sunny land- 

 scape, seem the very gems and ornaments of Nature's lovely dress. 



Races of stronger wing and sterner attributes obtain their food 

 by waging active war upon living animals, their destined prey, 

 swooping upon their quarry from afar like falling thunderbolts; 

 or else by night, prowling on muffled wings, invade the darkness, 

 and approach stealthily their unsuspecting victims. By far the 

 greater number of birds, however, have been appointed, in one 

 way or another, to feed on insects that abound on every side, and 



* See "Animal Creation," page 308. 



