210 LECTURE XVI. 



Indeed, they must be taught by an Almighty 

 Power to do this, proving that the eye of Pro- 

 vidence is always directed to the well-being 

 of His creatures. Well may we admire and 

 wonder. 



Amongst the birds which arrive in this country 

 in the months of April and May may be reck- 

 oned the cuckoo, the wryneck, and also about 

 forty little tender birds, many of them songsters, 

 and which encounter the perils of a long flight 

 over land and seas, impelled by a migratory 

 instinct. Most of these arrive in the night, and 

 I cannot doubt but that this is ordained for 

 their benefit, for if they came in an exhausted 

 or tired state on our shores, they would be less 

 able to conceal and protect themselves. The 

 males arrive first, and then their songs begin. 

 After a few days the females arrive, and, hear- 

 ing the songs of the males, they pair and begin 

 to build their nests. It may be mentioned that 

 almost all our summer birds of passage come 

 from warm climates, and our winter birds from 

 cold regions, such as woodcocks, snipes, &c. 

 That interesting bird, the short - eared owl, 

 generally arrives in this country with the wood- 

 cocks. I found one of these birds, some years 



