VOICE OF BIRDS. 



the open air, &:c. Now the ventriloquist having the or- 

 gan of voice in great perfection, and having been accus- 

 tomed for a long time, to pay particular attention to the 

 difference between these various modifications, becomes 

 able at last, to imitate them so perfectly as to deceive 

 the most wary. Thus, he knows very well how a voice 

 sounds which comes from the opposite side of the room, 

 and his endeavor is to imitate that sound. If he succeeds, 

 it will seem to come from that quarter, though it is indif- 

 ferent where he may be placed. If other delusions are 

 ma'de use of, the deception is still more complete. "In 

 one respect," says Majendie, " this art is to the ear, 

 what painting is to the eye." 



Emily. What wonderful results will not education 

 produce, with some of our physical organs ! Who, on 

 hearing the voice of ventriloquism for the first time, 

 would attribute it to this cause ! 



Dr. B. No one, we may safely say, for almost every 

 possible theory was started, before the true one was sug- 

 gested. But in all this perhaps there is nothing more 

 strange, than the power by which hunters imitate the 

 voices of animals, and thus decoy them to their snares. 



We might here conclude the subject of the voice, but 

 as many interesting observations on the voice of birds 

 have been recorded, I cannot help making you acquaint- 

 ed with a few of them. 



Emily. Do by all means for who that has heard 

 the sweet voices of these little songsters, can find any 

 information relative to them, tedious or uninstructive ? 



Dr. B. To chirp, is the first sound which a young 

 bird utters, as a cry for food, and is different in all nest- 

 lings ; so that the hearer may distinguish of what species 

 the bird is, though the nest hangs out of sight. This 

 cry is very weak and querulous ; it is dropped entirely 

 as the bird grows stronger, nor is it afterwards mingled 

 with its song. 



The call of a bird is that sound which the bird is able 

 to make when about a month old ; it is in most instances, 



