76 BOOK OF NATURE LAID OPEN* 



met a man travelling on an Ostrich; and Mr. Adam; 

 son informs us, that when he was at the factory of Po- 

 dore there were two young Ostriches, the strongest 

 of which was much fleeter than the best English 

 race-horse he ever saw, although he at that time 

 carried two negroes on his back. 



If in the feathery tribe some appear to be formed 

 to please us with the beauty of their plumage, as the 

 Goldfinch, the Bullfinch, and the Humming bird ; 

 others, as the Thrush, the Blackbird, and the Ca- 

 nary, delight us with the melody of their song The 

 L*ark soars aloft and salutes the new-born day with 

 his cheerful notes. The Nightingale soothes, the 

 weary labourer as he returns from his daily toil, by 

 his fascinating strains. The little Robin, in return 

 for the protection our fences have afforded him, ex- 

 erts himself to render the hedges vocal, in soft and 

 tender melody; and the Sparrow endeavours to 

 amuse us with her chirpings. 



The Swallow, also, as if sensible of the undisturb- 

 ed possession she has been allowed to take of our 

 premises, during the time of her necessities, catches 

 upon the wing a multitude of flies, gnats, and bee- 

 tles, and frees us from a number of troublesome ver- 

 min before she bids us farewell. Birds of the Rook 

 and Pie kind, although a noisy and chattering tribe, 

 may be of infinitely more use than we have the sense 

 to discover, by the destruction of grubs, worms, and 

 eggs of vermin; and the common carrion crow may 

 be no less necessary in our climate, than the Egyp- 

 tian Vulture and the Ossifrage of Syria. The Vul- 



