O INTRODUCTION. 



of their forms, the beauty and brilliancy of their plumage, 

 their graceful motions, their peculiar habits and manners, 

 and, above all, their delicious songs, possess charms which 

 attract the attention of the most indifferent, and win the hearts 

 of all who love beauty, grace, and sweetness. Every one 

 has, at some time or other, felt the joy Wordsworth must 

 have felt when he wrote : 



" The birds around me hopped and played, 



Their thoughts I can not measure ; 

 But the least motion which they made 

 It seemed a thrill of pleasure." 



Watching the birds flying over the green earth, circling in 

 the warm sunshine, building their nests in lofty trees, darting 

 in and out of flower-laden shrubs, and having no thought for 

 the morrow, it may seem to men who are the victims of pas- 

 sions and conflicting emotions, that these little creatures must 

 live in brighter and more peaceful regions than any known to 

 the human family. It is restful and healthful for all men, in 

 city or country, 



" To go abroad rejoicing in the joy 

 Of beautiful and well-created things, 

 To thrill with the rich melody of birds, 

 Living in their life of music ; 

 To see, and hear, and breathe the evidence 

 Of God's deep wisdom in the natural world." 



Birds, aves in Latin, oiseau in French, and Vdgel in German, 

 are all bipeds, and are covered with feathers, a covering which 

 nature has given to no animals of other classes. Nearly all 

 birds have the power of flight, which is enjoyed by few other 

 vertebrate animals. The most conspicuous external character- 

 istics of birds is their plumage, which invests their bodies and 

 wings, serves as clothing, assists in motion through the air, 

 and protects from extremes of heat and cold. The internal 

 temperature of birds is from one hundred and five to one hun- 

 dred and twelve degrees, Fahrenheit, which is much higher 

 than that of man and beasts. All the best singing birds belong 

 to the sub-class Insessores, which is a union of five orders, 

 comprising a large number of families, in which are such 



