BOOK IV. 

 OF BIRDS OF THE PIE KIND. 



CHAP. I. 



OF BIRDS OF THE PIE KIND. 



In marshalling our army of the feathered creation, we have 

 placed in the van a race of birds long bred to war, and whose 

 passion is slaughter; in the centre we have placed the slow and 

 heavy laden, that are usually brought into the field to be de- 

 stroyed ; we now come to a kind of light infantry, that partake 

 something of the spirit of the two former, and yet belonging to 

 neither. In this class we must be content to marshal a numer- 

 ous irregular tribe, variously armed, with different pursuits, ap- 

 petites, and manners ; not formidably formed for war, and yet 

 generally delighting in mischief, not slowly and usefully obe-; 

 dient, and yet without any professed enmity to the rest of their' 

 fellow tenants of air. 



To speak without metaphor ; under this class of birds we 

 may arrange all that noisy, restless, chattering, teazing tribe, 

 that lies between the hen and the thrush, that, from the size of 

 tlie raven down to that of the woodpecker, flutter round our 

 habitations, and rather with the spirit of pilferers than of rob- 

 bers, make free with the fruits of human industiy. 



Of all the other classes, this seems to be that which the 

 least contributes to furnish out the pleasures, or supply the 

 necessities of man. The falcon hunts for him ; the poultry 

 tribe supplies him with luxurious food ; and the little sparrow 

 race delight him with the melody of their warblings. The 

 crane kind make a studied variety in his entertainments ; and 

 the class of ducks are not only many of them delicate in their 

 flesh, but extremely useful for their feathers. But in the class 



