546 



A HISTORY OF 



an equal quantity of fine bread, and a little 

 scalded rape-seed : this must be bruised till it 

 becomes fine, and then it may be mixed with 

 a little maw-seed ; after which blend all to- 

 gether; which is to be supplied them fresh 

 every day. 



The canary-bird, by being kept in company 

 with the linnet or the gold-finch, pairs and 

 produces a mixed breed, more like the canary- 

 bird, and resembling it chiefly in its song. 

 Indeed, all this tribe with strong bills and 

 piercing notes, and feeding upon grain, have 

 the most strong similitude to each other, and 

 may justly be supposed, as Mr. Buffon imagines, 

 to come from the same original. They all 



breed about the same time ; they frequent the 

 same vegetables; they build in tlic same 

 hedges and trees ; and are brought up for the 

 cage with the same food ud \n\ cautions. 

 The linnet, the bull-finch, and the gold-finch, 

 whcu we know the history of the canary-bird, 

 have scarcely any peculiarities that can attract 

 our curiosity, or require our care. The only 

 art necessary with all those that have no very 

 fine note, is to breed them up under some 

 more pleasing harmonist. The gold-finch 

 learns a fine song from the nightingale ; and 

 the linnet and bull-finch may be taught, for- 

 getting the wild notes of nature, to. whistle a 

 long and regular tune. 



CHAPTER CX. 



OF THE SWALLOW, AND ITS AFFINITIES. 



AN idea of any one bird in the former classes 

 will give us some tolerable conception of the 

 rest. By knowing the linnet or the canary- 

 bird, we have some notion of the manners of 

 the gold-finch; by exhibiting the history of 

 the nightingale, we see also that of the black- 

 cap or the tit-mouse. But the swallow tribe 

 seems to be entirely different from all the for- 

 mer ; different in their form, different in their 

 habits, and unlike in all the particulars of their 

 history. 



In this tribe is to be found the Goat-sucker, 

 which may be styled a nocturnal swallow ; it 

 is the largest of this kind, and is known by its 

 tail, which is not forked, like that of the com- 

 mon swallow. It begins its flight at evening, 

 and makes a loud singular noise, like the whur 

 of a spinning- wheel. To this also belongs the 

 House-swallow, which is too well known to 

 need a description : the Martin, inferior in size 

 to the former, and the tail much less forked ; 

 it differs also in its nest, which is covered at 

 top, while that of the house-swallow is open : 

 and the Swift, rather larger than the house- 

 swallow,' with all the toes standing forward ; 

 in which it differs from the rest of its kind. 

 All these resemble each other so strongly, that 

 it is not without difficulty the smaller kinds are 

 known asunder. 



These are all known by their very large 

 mouths, which, when they fly, are always kept 

 open ; they are not less remarkable for their 

 short slender fret, which scarcely are able to 

 support the weight of their bodies ; their wings 

 are of immoderate extent for their bulk ; their 

 plumage is glossed with a rich purple ; and 

 their note is a slight twittering, which they 

 seldom exert but upon the wing. This peculiar 

 conformation seems attended with a similar 

 peculiarity of manners. Their food is insects, 

 which they always pursue flying. For this 

 reason, during fine weather, when the insects 

 are most likely to be abroad, the swallows are 

 for ever upon the wing, an < seem pursu'ng their 

 prey with amazing swiftness and agility. AH 

 smaller animals, in some measure, find safety 

 by winding and turning, when they endeavour 

 to avoid the greater: the lark thus evades the 

 pursuit of the hawk, and mau the crocodile. 

 In this manner, insects upon the wing en- 

 deavour to avoid the swallow ; but this bird is 

 admirably fitted by nature to pursue them 

 through their shortest tmninas. Besides a 

 great length of wing, it is also provided with 

 a long tail, which, like a rudder, turns it in its 

 most rapid motions ; anil thus, while it is pos- 

 sessed of the greatest swiftness, it is also pos- 

 sessed of the most extreme agility. 



