A CHAT ABOUT BIRDS. 1 13 



to an enormous extent it is alarming to notify the destruc- 

 tion which is being carried on among them. But I must not 

 divert from the point at issue, their vocal powers. What shall 

 I say of them? Well, there is the thrilling -lay of the Skylark, 

 the laugh of the Woodpecker, the ' pink-pink ' and the abruptly 

 finished warble of the Chaffinch. Shall I contrast the cawing 

 of the busy Rooks with the captivating melodies of the Night- 

 ingale; the 'crex-crex' of the ventriloquial Landrail with the 

 bubbling little warble of the Wren or the flute-like notes of 

 him of the golden dagger the Blackbird ; the hoot of the Barn 

 Owl and the jarring warble of the Nightjar; the screeching of 

 birds of prey ; the curious note of the Nuthatch ; the ' cock-up ' 

 of the Pheasant; the voice of the amorous Turtle-Dove; such 

 are some of the pleasing contrasts which Nature has provided 

 for us. 



I might still go on here again, but I must hasten on. What 

 shall I say of their plumage and their eggs? Has human skill 

 ever yet displayed such exquisite taste and delicate workman- 

 ship? Let us picture on the wide canvas of Nature with the 

 glorious green pastures and the clear blue sky as a background 

 the sooty Blackbird with dark lustrous eyes, and the brightly- 

 plumed Chaffinch: there is a contrast indeed! 



Side by side let the reader imagine the Ptarmigan in its 

 white Winter dress, and the Crow tribe, the Rook, Crow, 

 Raven, Jackdaw, and Starling that bird of so many hues and so 

 on. The Kestrel and Sparrow Hawk, with the most diminutive of 

 our British Birds, the Golden Crested Wren. The Golden 

 Eagle and the Peregrine Falcon, with the Brown Wren and the 

 Robin; the Cormorant and the silly Shag, with the Kingfisher 

 or the gorgeous Golden Oriole ; the Stormy Petrel with the 

 Fulmar species; the blinking, snoozing Owls with the beautiful 

 Goldfinch, Greenfinch, or Bullfinch; the Gulls and Guillemots 

 with the Tree Pipit, Woodlark, and Skylark; the curious strut- 

 ting Puffins and handsome Divers, with the gentle little 

 Whitethroat or the Blackcap, and onwards I might proceed. Is 

 there not a feeling of wonderment and admiration when these 

 pictures of diversity and beauty are portrayed to view? Surely 

 so. To the lover of Nature all things are beautiful ; to the casual 

 observer it is different. Sights and sounds, such as these, do 



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