THE BOOK OF MIGRATORY BIRDS IOQ 



distinct, muffled as they must always partially be by the 

 feathers of the bird. 



The faculty of imitating sounds possessed by certain 

 birds proves that their hearing must be exceedingly deli- 

 cate; and though we suspend our belief of the great 

 musical talents which some birds are said to have derived 

 from education, we find many well-attested instances of 

 a delicate ear in species by no means remarkable for vocal 

 execution. 



Madame Piozzi gives an account of a tame pigeon, 

 which answered by gesticulation to every note of a harpsi- 

 chord. As often as she began to play the pigeon hurried 

 to the concert, with every indication of rapturous delight. 

 A false note produced in the bird evident tokens of dis- 

 pleasure, and if frequently repeated it lost all temper and 

 tore her hands. 



It is again related that a gentleman was staying at a 

 certain house in Cheshire, and the daughter of the host 

 was a fine performer on the same class of instrument. 

 He observed a pigeon which, whenever the young lady 

 played the song of "Speri si" in Handel's opera of 

 "Admetus," would descend from an adjacent dove-cot to 

 the room window where she sat, and listen with every 

 indication of pleasure till the song was finished, when it 

 uniformly returned to the dove-cot. 



Who, after this, will aver that birds have not a keen 

 sense of hearing? 



