14 PREFACE. 



with delight to the melody of the feathered 

 race, has either been rendered a misan- 

 thrope by the villany of others, or is at 

 heart, himself, a villain. The best proof 

 of this is the delighted expression visible 

 upon the faces of children, as they linger 

 near the cages of their favourites and 

 drink in every note of their varied song. 

 And what man lives, who, as he passes by 

 the cottage of the humble labourer, and 

 observes the wicker habitation of the well 

 tended Canary suspended at the door, 

 does not form a favourable idea of the 

 taste of those who dwell within its walls. 

 And oh ! in the crowded cities, with the 

 hum of business and the rattle of wheels 

 sounding ever around, is it not pleasant to 

 the ear of the sick-man to hear the voice 

 of some lone bird, and fancy as the cool 

 breeze from the open window steals across 

 his feverish brow, that he is out again 

 among the green fields and pleasant val- 

 leys, where the tall trees shake their heads 

 in defiance of the winds, and the diamond- 

 gleaming streams run onward with one 

 continual murmur of joy. The dim light 

 that streams into his room seems free and 

 glorious, he imagines his humble apart- 

 ment by the wild greenwood, and the 



