BIRDS OF SONG. 207 



catching the enemy, and putting an end to this unorthodox pro- 

 ceeding, and over first a bench and then a child he stumbled 

 in his attempts to pounce upon the fugitive, who easily evaded 

 his grasp, and always appeared just where the clerk was not, in- 

 forming him ever and anon of his whereabouts by the old cry 

 " Here am I !" At last, with the help of two or three of the con- 

 gregation who had joined in the pursuit, a capture was effected, 

 and Jack was ignominously turned out and the door closed upon 

 him. After the lapse of a few minutes, order and solemnity 

 were restored in the church, and the prayers were re-commenced 

 and ended without further disturbance. 



The parson in diie time ascended to the pulpit, gave out hia 

 text, and commenced his discourse. But he had not proceeded 

 far when he was interrupted by a loud noise accompanied by 

 rapping at the little window at the back of the pulpit. Turning 

 round to ascertain the cause, he saw friend Jack pecking away at 

 the window, flapping his wings against it, and screaming at the 

 top of his voice " Here am I!" " Here am 1 1" a fact which no 

 one could gainsay or resist laughing at. The worthy parson, 

 finding his own gravity and that of his congregation so entirely 

 upset by what had occurred, brought his sermon to a speedy con- 

 clusion and dismissed the congregation. 



Poor Jack had sentence of death recorded against him, but 

 upon the petition of a number of the parishioners, his punish- 

 ment was commuted to banishment for life from the scene of his 

 crime. 



The family of Finches introduces us at once to the song-birds ; 

 and with them comes that much debated question, what is the 

 special motive that prompts our little feathered friends to the ex- 

 hilirating strains with which they greet us when spring comes 

 round with its blue sky and bright tinted flowers? 



It has very commonly been argued that these bursts of song 

 are due almost entirely to the exercise of the imitative faculty in 

 birds ; but we are inclined to think that this is a veiy insuffi- 

 cient explanation of the matter. No doubt the natural and, as 

 we should say, instinctive notes of birds may be greatly modified, 

 or even altogether changed, by education, especially when man 

 himself directs the process and entirely alters the conditions 

 under which the young birds attain to maturity. The Hon. 

 Paines Ban-in gt on tried several experiments with the view of 



