Xvi. INTRODUCTION. 



The celebrated Mr. John Hunter informs us, " that he had 

 dissected many Swallows, but found nothing in them differ- 



leaders of the vernal chorus/ my next attempt was with the Black- 

 caps, but these have been nestlings. I have had two for the last 

 three years, in perfect health and full song ; another, which I reared 

 .last year, is at this moment roaring away most powerfully. I have 

 kept also the larger as well as the smaller White-throats ; three of 

 the latter description, reared from the nest, have been with me for 

 more than three years ; one of them, while I am now writing, is 

 warbling his little song very sweetly ; two of them are cocks, and the 

 other a hen, and they live very happily together, and are perfectly 

 tame ; they are so gentle and familiar, that they will take any little 

 delicacy frpm our fingers or our lips, and are particularly fond of 

 sugar and fruit, both of which I have seldom omitted giving to them, 

 as well as to the Black-caps, every day; and at this season of the 

 year, they regularly seem to expect their bit of apple. The song of 

 the larger White-throat is much louder and more agreeable, but I 

 have none of them at present. In consequence of seeing, in your 

 history of the Swallow, the successful result of a gentleman in Lon- 

 don to preserve them during the winter, I resolved to make the at- 

 tempt of rearing some nestlings, which I did last year. On the I2th 

 of July, a nest was brought to me by my desire, containing three 

 young ones pretty well fledged; one of them, which I think was a 

 hen, a few weeks after I had it, forced its way through the wires of 

 the cage, and flew away perfectly strong, and joined others of its 

 species which were flying near the house : the others, which are cock 

 birds, have remained quite healthy during the winter, and cheered us 

 particularly with their simple song on Christmas-day. They moulted 

 towards the latter end of the year, but during the whole of this weak- 

 ening period they did not cease to sing, not only during the day, but 

 in the evening; in the cold weather the cage was well wrapped up 

 and covered over with green baize: as the weather is now become 

 milder, their covering is partially withdrawn : they have always been 

 kept in a warm room, and occasionally been placed near a window; 

 but when it was at all cold, they retired to their perch, which is 

 covered with baize, as far as possible from it. Their food is the 

 same which I give to the other summer birds beef, mutton, veal, or 

 lamb, not over dressed, chopped very small, and mixed with hard 

 eggs, yellow as well as white, and a little chopped hempseed, on 

 which they have thriven very well." 



