224 



approach of summer, retire to more northern climates 

 where they breed, and remain till at the return of 

 winter, they return to us again. 



The winter food of these birds being berries and 

 haws, which are far more plentiful here than in more 

 northern regions, this is one reason of their coming 

 over : but the principal is, the severity of the wea- 

 ther in those climates, which nature teaches them to 

 exchange, for such as are more temperate. But why 

 do they depart from us in spring: This still remains 

 among the secrets of nature. 



Besic'e these summer and winter birds 5 there are 

 others which come periodically to certain places, for 

 the sake of some sort of food, which their own conn* 

 try is destitute of. These quickly depart, and arc 

 seen no more till that time twelvemonth, Such arc 

 the rice-bird and blue-wing of Carolina. 



But above half a century passed from the time of 

 cultivating rice and wheat in Carolina, and Virginia, 

 before these foreign birds made their appearance there. 

 The wheat birds now come annually to Virginia, when 

 the wheat ripens, and have come every year, since 

 their first appearance, in numerous flights. 



The species of birds already known, amount to 

 about eight hundred. Linnaeus divides them into six 

 classes ; namely,into birds of the rapacious kinds, birds 

 of (he pie-kind, birds of the poultry kind, birds of 

 the sparrow. kind, birds of the duck-kind, and birds 

 of the crane-kind. The four first comprehend the 

 kinds of land birds, the two last, those that belong 

 to the water. 



In beginning with the feathered tribe, the Ostrich 

 seems to unite the class of beasts and of birds in 

 itself. While it has the general outlines and pro. 

 perties of a bird, it retains many of the marks of a 

 beast. In appearance it resembles the camel, and is 

 almost as tall ; it is covered with a plumage that re- 

 sembles hair much more than feathers, and its internal 

 parts bear as near a similitude to those of the beast, 



