THE STORMCOCK. 331 



always have a friend in me. I admire it for its fine shape and lovely 

 plumage ; I protect it for its wild and varied song ; and I defend it 

 for its innocence. 



THE STORMCOCK. 



" Te, dulcis conjux, te solo in littore secum, 

 Te, veniente die, te, decedente, canebat." 



" For thee, sweet mate, for thee he pour'd his lay, 

 At early dawn, and at the close of day." 



IT is a pleasing and ingenious way to account for the song in birds, 

 by supposing that it is given to them by Nature, in order that they 

 may enliven the female during the lonely task of incubation. At 

 that interesting season of the year, one might really imagine that the 

 song of the male is absolutely uxorious ; and, in truth, it may be, for 

 aught I know to the contrary. No cow ever chewed her cud more 

 deliberately than I have weighed this matter in my own mind ; and, 

 after all, I am not one jot the wiser. My speculations in April have 

 all been shivered to atoms in November, and I am left in the midst 

 of uncertainty. To-day, I hear a male bird singing close to the bush 

 where his female is on her nest; and, five months hence, I shall 

 hear a male bird sing, in apparent ecstasy, when the chilling season 

 of the year peremptorily forbids the female to make any preparations 

 for the nursery. Baffled at every point, I sometimes peevishly ask 

 myself, Why should Nature have made a provision in the male black- 

 bird, in order that he may soothe his incubating female, and have 

 denied that provision to my favourite, the carrion crow ? And then 

 I answer my own question, by whispering to myself, that the she 

 carrion may possibly experience wonderful delight in listening to the 

 hoarse croaking of her partner ; just as the old Scotchwoman did 

 when she used to gaze at the carbuncle on her husband's nose. In 

 a word, I know nothing, absolutely nothing, about the song in birds. 

 The raven will whistle you a tune so true and pleasing that you feel 

 quite enchanted with his performance; whilst his congener, the 



