64 ORGANS OF VOICE. 



of nothing, beyond the food they are in search of; be- 

 cause, on the bough of some neighbouring tree, a good 

 look-out is kept by one of the party, and the moment 

 the sentinel Crow, or Rook, gives out his well-known 

 caw of alarm, or the Fieldfare its peculiar jarring cry, 

 away go the main body beyond the reach of the fowler, 

 "who thought he could escape observation by lurking be- 

 hind a tree, or stealing behind a hedge-bank. A person 

 familiar with the notes of birds has no difficulty what- 

 ever in distinguishing between the sounds of pleasure 

 and alarm. If he hears the Swallows screaming in a 

 certain note, he is well aware that cats or Hawks are 

 ^Jbout, as if they could tell him so in common language. 

 We once happened to hear a loud outcry amongst a 

 parcel of Sparrows, Tomtits, and Chaffinches ; the noise 

 was evidently not their usual note of pleasure, neither 

 was it the clamorous scream they utter when fighting. 

 The bustle occurred within a yard of our window, too 

 near for a Hawk to venture ; neither was there a cat 

 within sight, nothing of the sort ; but still the din 

 increased, and the bush shook again with flutterings of 

 wings, and clacking of tongues : when, at last, we espied 

 a pair of inquisitive eyes, and a little sharp snout poked 

 out from the twigs, at the bottom of the bush. It was 

 a, weasel, which, on seeing that it was discovered, took 

 to its heels ; and in an instant the cries of the Sparrows 

 ceased, and the whole party dispersed. 



It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader of the 

 language so well known in the poultry-yard. The cluck 

 of the Hen, when she calls her chickens together; her 

 shriek, if a Hawk is seen flying over the brood, and the 

 rapid rush of chickens under her wings ; and her cackle 

 of pride or pleasure when she announces to the whole 

 farm-yard the important fact of her having laid an egg. 

 Even a young chicken has a power of language easily 

 understood. Take, for instance, one of four or five 

 days old, and hold it up to a window where there are 

 flies, and it will immediately seize them, with a little 



