A HISTORY OF 



power of resistance, has compensated by the 

 fertility attending procreation. 



Birds in general, though they have so much 

 to fear from man and each other, are seldom 

 scared away from their usual haunts. Al- 

 though they be so perfectly formed for a wan- 

 dering life, and are supplied with powers to 

 satisfy all their appetites, though ever so re- 

 mote from the object, though they are so well 

 fitted for changing place with ease and rapi- 

 dity, yet the greatest number remain content- 

 ed in the districts where they have been bred, 

 and ]jy no means exert their desires in pro- 

 portion to their endowments. The rook, if 

 undisturbed, never desires to leave his native 

 grove ; the black-bird still frequents its ac- 

 customed hedge ; and the red-breast, though 

 seemingly mild, claims a certain district, 

 from which he seldom moves, but drives out 

 every one of the same species from thence 

 without pity. They are excited to migration 

 by no other motives but those of fear, climate, 

 or hunger. It must be from one of these 

 powerful motives that the birds, which are 

 called birds of passage, every year forsake us 

 for some time, and make their regular and 

 expected returns. 



Nothing has more employed the curiosity 

 of mankind than these annual emigrations ; 

 and yet few subjects continue so much involved 

 in darkness. It is generally believed, that the 

 cause of their retreat from these parts of Eu- 

 rope, is either a scarcity of food at certain sea- 

 sons, or the want of a secure asylum from the 

 persecution of man, during the time of court- 

 ship and bringing up their young. Thus 

 the starling, in Sweden, at the approach of 

 winter, finding subsistence no longer in that 

 kingdom, descends every year into Germany; 

 and the hen chaffinches of the same country 

 are seen every year to fly through Holland in 

 large flocks, to pass their winter in a milder 

 climate. Others, with a more daring spirit, 

 prepare for journeys that might intimidate 

 even human perseverance. Thus the quails, 

 in spring, forsake the burning heats of Africa 

 for the milder sun of Europe ; and, when they 

 have past the summer with us, steer their 

 flight back to enjoy in Egypt the temperate 

 air, which then begins to be delightful. This, 

 with them, seems a preconcerted undertaking. 

 They unite together in some open place, forsome 

 days before their departure, and, by an odd 

 kind of chattering, seem to debate on the me- 

 thod to proceed. When their plan is resolved 

 upon, they all take flight together, and often 

 appear in such numbers, that to mariners at 

 sea they seem like a cloud that rests upon the 

 horizon. The boldest, strongest, and by far 

 the greatest number, make good their inten- 

 tion ; but many there are, who, not well ap- 

 prised of their own force for the undertaking, 



grow weary on the way, and, quite spent by 

 the fatigues of their flight, drop down into 

 the sea, and sometimes upon deck, thus be- 

 coming an easy prey to the mariner. 



Of the vast quantity of water-fowl, that fre- 

 quent our shores, it is amazing to reflect how 

 few are known to breed here. The cause that 

 principally urges them to leave this country, 

 seems to be not merely the want of food, but 

 the desire of a secure retreat. Our country is 

 too populous for birds so shy and timid as the 

 greatest number of these are. When great 

 part of our island was a mere waste, an un- 

 cultivated tract of woods and marshes, many 

 species of birds which now migrate remained 

 with us throughout the year. The great he- 

 ron and the crane, that have now forsaken 

 this country, in former times bred familiarly 

 in our marshes, and seemed to animate our 

 fens. Their nests, like those of most cloven- 

 footed water-fowl, were built on the ground, 

 and exposed to every invader. But as rural 

 economy increased, these animals were more 

 and more disturbed. Before they had little to 

 fear, as the surrounding marsh defended them 

 from all the carnivorous quadrupeds, and their 

 own strength from birds of prey ; but upon the 

 intrusion of man, and by a long series of 

 alarms, they have at length been obliged to 

 seek, during the summer, some lonely habita- 

 tion, at a safe distance from every destroyer. 



Of the numerous tribes of the duck kind x 

 we know of no more than five that breed 

 here; the tame swan, the tame goose, the 

 sheldrake, the eider duck, and a few of the 

 wild ducks. The rest contribute to form that 

 amazing multitude of water fowl which annu- 

 ally repair to the dreary lakes and deserts of 

 Lapland from the more southern countries of 

 Europe. In those extensive and solitary re- 

 treats, they perform the duties of incubation 

 and nutrition in full security. There are few 

 of this kind that may not be traced to the nor- 

 thern deserts, to countries of lakes, rivers, 

 swamps, and mountains, covered with thick 

 and gloomy forests, that afford shelter during 

 summer to the timid animals, who live there 

 in undisturbed security. In ^those regions, 

 from the thickness of the forests, the ground 

 remains moist and penetrable during the sum- 

 mer season ; the woodcock, the snipe, and 

 other slender-billed birds, can there feed at 

 ease ; while the web-footed birds find more 

 than sufficient plenty of food from the number 

 of insects, which swarm there to an incredible 

 degree. The days there are long ; and the 

 beautiful meteorous nights afford them every 

 opportunity of collecting so minute a food, 

 which is probably of all others the most grate- 

 ful. We are not to be astonished, therefore, 

 at the amazing numbers of fowl that descend 

 from these regions at the approach of winter ; 



