HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



BOOK IV. 



OF BIRDS OF THE PIE KIND. 



CHAP. I. 



OF BIRDS OF THE PIE KIND. 



IN marshalling our army of the feathered 

 creation, we have placed in the van a race of 

 birds long bred to war, and whose passion is 

 slaughter; in the centre we have placed the 

 slow and heavy laden, that are usually brought 

 into the field to be destroyed ; we now come 

 to a kind of light infantry, that partake some- 

 thing of the spirit of the two former, and yet 

 belonging to neither. In this class we must 

 be content to marshal a numerous irregular 

 tribe, variously armed, with different pursuits, 

 appetites, and manners ; not formidably formed 

 for war, and yet generally delighting in mis- 

 chief, not slowly and usefully obedient, and 

 yet without any professed enmity to the rest 

 of their fellow tenants of air. 



To speak without metaphor; under this 

 class of birds we may arrange all that noisy, 

 restless, chattering, teazing tribe, that lies be- 

 tween the hen and the thrush, that, from the 

 size of the raven down to that of the wood- 

 pecker, flutter round our habitations, and 

 rather with the spirit of pilferers than of rob- 

 bers, make free with the fruits of human in- 

 dustry. 



Of all the other classes, this seems to be 

 that which the least contributes to furnish out 

 the pleasures, or supply the necessities of 

 man. The falcon hunts for him ; the poultry 

 tribe supplies him with luxurious food; and 

 the little sparrow race delight him with the 

 melody of their warblings. The crane kind 

 make a studied variety in his entertainments ; 

 and the class of ducks are not only many of 

 them delicate in their flesh, but extremely 

 useful for their feathers. But in the class of 

 the pie kind, there are few, except the pigeon, 

 that are any way useful. They serve rather 



to teaze man, than to assist or amuse him. 

 Like faithless servants, they are fond of his 

 neighbourhood, because they mostly live by his 

 labour; but their chief study is what they can 

 plunder in his absence, while their deaths 

 make no atonement for their depredation. 



But though, with respect to man, this whole 

 class is rather noxious than beneficial ; though 

 he may consider them in this light, as false, 

 noisy, troublesome neighbours, yet, with res- 

 pect to each other, no class of birds are so in- 

 genious, so active, or so well fitted for society. 

 Could we suppose a kind of morality among 

 birds, we should find that these are by far the 

 most industrious, the most faithful, the most 

 constant, and the most connubial. The rapa- 

 cious kinds drive out their young before they 

 are fit to struggle with adversity ; but the pie 

 kind cherish their young to the last. The 

 poultry class are faithless and promiscuous in 

 their courtship ; but these live in pairs, and 

 their attachments are wholly confined to each 

 other. The sparrow kind frequently overleap 

 the bounds of nature, and make illicit varie- 

 ties ; but these never. They live in harmony 

 with each other ; every species is true to its 

 kind, and transmits an unpolluted race to pos- 

 terity. 



As other kinds build in rocks or upon the 

 ground, the chief place where these buiM is 

 in trees or bushes ; the male takes his share 

 in the labours of building the nest, and often 

 relieves his mate in the duties of incubation. 

 Both take this office by turns ; and when the 

 young are excluded, both are equally active 

 in making them an ample provision. 



They sometimes live in societies ; and in 

 these there are general laws observed, and a 

 kind of republican form of government esta- 

 blished among them. They watch not only 

 for the general safety, but for that of every 

 other bird of the grove. How often have we 



