love's meinie. 17 



seen therein ; " and tlienceforward the catastrophe is 

 direct, to the ornithological mnseuins which Breughel 

 painted for gardens of Eden, and to the still life and 

 dead game of Dutch celebrities. 



15. And yet I am going to invite you to-day to ex- 

 amine, down to almost microscopic detail, the aspect 

 of a small bird, and to invite you to do this, as a most 

 exjDedient and sure step in your study of the greatest 

 art. 



But the difference in our motive of examination will 

 entirely alter the result. To paint birds that we may 

 show how minutely we can paint, is among the most 

 contemptible occupations of art. To paint them, that we 

 may show" how beautiful they are, is not indeed one 

 of its highest, but cpiite one of its .pleasantest and most 

 useful ; it is a skill within the reach of every student 

 of a\^rage capacity, and which, so far as acquired, wdll 

 assuredly both make their hearts kinder, and their lives 

 happier. 



Without further preamble, I will ask you to look 

 to-day, more carefully than usual, at your well-kno^vn 

 favourite, and to think about him w^ith some precision. 



16. And first, Where does he come, from? I stated 

 that my lectures were to be on English and Greek birds ; 

 but we are apt to fancy the robin all our own. How ex- 

 clusively, do you suppose, he really belongs to us ? You 

 w^ould think this was the first point to be settled in any 

 book about him. I have hunted all my books tlirough, 



