THE NIGHTINGALE. 



Melody of song. 



scenery, has always been considered as plaintive 

 or melancholy ; and sometimes as even conveying 

 ideas of distress. From Pliny's description, how- 

 ever, we should be led to believe that it possessed 

 a persevering strain. " The nightingale," says 

 he, " that for fifteen days and nights hid in the 

 thickest shades, continues her note without in- 

 termission, deserves our attention and wonder. 

 How surprising that so great a voice can reside 

 in so small a body ! Such perseverance in so mi- 

 nute an animal! With what a musical propriety 

 are the sounds it produces modulated ! The note 

 at one time drawn out with a long breath, now 

 stealing off into a different cadence, now inter- 

 rupted by a break, then changing into a new 

 note by an unexpected transition ; now seeming 

 to renew the same strain, then deceiving expec- 

 tation ! She sometimes seems to murmur within 

 herself; full, deep, sharp, swift, drawling, trem- 

 bling; now at the top, the middle, and the bot- 

 tom of the scale ! In short, in that little bill seems 

 to reside all the melody which man has vainly 

 laboured to bring from a variety of musical in- 

 struments. Some even seem to be possessed of 

 a different song from the rest, and contend with 

 each other with great vigour. The bird over- 

 come is then seen only to discontinue its song 

 with its life." iT K >; 



From the dissections of several birds made by 

 Mr. John Hunter, at the request of the Hon. 

 Daines Barrhigton, it appeared that in the best 

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