356 RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



rows and forest trees ; while in summer he will find the 

 Titmice where decayed timber is abundant, and the 

 Kinglets either amongst the evergreens or far away on 

 the borders of the moors, nesting in the fir plantations. 

 He will find the Willow Warblers and Blackcaps amongst 

 the tangled vegetation of the woods ; but if he visits the 

 fruit gardens in autumn, his little feathered friends will 

 be there to greet him. And so I might proceed, giving 

 cases almost without number under this particular head, 

 where the observer by a close attention to his subject 

 can read truthfully and unerringly the habits of the 

 feathered race — attention which must be given at all 

 times and seasons, and with unwearying care, if he 

 desires to be in ornithology what Canova was in sculp- 

 ture or Rubens in painting — namely, a proficient and a 

 master. 



How easy of acquisition could I make the identifica- 

 tion of the many feathered creatures the aspiring ornitho- 

 logist will meet with in his rambles, did I possess the art 

 of faithfully representing on paper their many and varied 

 notes. But this is impossible, and I fear will e\^er 

 remain so. The only means of acquiring such know- 

 ledge rests with the observer himself, and I may say is 

 one of the steps that leads to a thorough knowledge of 

 ornithology. It is of the greatest importance that the 

 observer should make himself acquainted with the song' 

 and call notes of every bird around him. He is then in 

 a position to at once recognise any particular bird ; and 

 if displaying any previously unknown habit, it is imme- 

 diately 'brought home' to the proper species, even though 

 a close identification were impossible. For instance, I, by 

 a close attention to the notes of the Rook, can discrimi- 

 nate between the peaceful caw with which she welcomes 

 her mate or speaks condolence to her little ones, from 



