HISTORY OF 



through the breast-bone, and there has several 

 turnings, before it comes out again and goes to 

 enter the lungs. It is not to form the voice that ' 

 these turnings are found, since the fowls that are 

 without them are vocal, and those, particularly 

 the bird just now mentioned, that have them, 

 are silent. Whence, therefore, some birds derive 

 that loud and various modulation in their warb- 

 lings, is not easily to be accounted for ; at least, 

 the knife of the anatomist goes but a short way 

 in the investigation. All we are certain of is, 

 that birds have much louder voices, in respect to 

 their bulk, than animals of any other kind j for 

 the bellowing of an ox is not louder than the 

 scream of a peacock. 



In these particulars birds pretty much resemble 

 each other in their internal conformation ; but 

 there are some varieties which we should more 

 attentively observe. All birds have, properly 

 speaking, but one stomach ; but this is very dif- 

 ferent in different kinds. In all the rapacious 

 kinds that live upon animal food, as well as in 

 some of the fish-feeding tribe, the stomach is pecu- 

 liarly formed. The oesophagus, or gullet, in 

 them is found replete with glandulous bodies, 

 which serve to dilate and macerate the food as it 

 passes into the stomach, which is always very 

 large in proportion to the size of the bird, and 

 generally wrapped round with fat, in order to in- 

 crease its warmth and powers of digestion. 



Granivorous birds, or such as live upon fruits, 

 corn, and other vegetables, have their intestines 

 differently formed from those of the rapacious 



