450 THE BIRD IS CAUGHT. ,CHAP. xiv. 



again. I did not like to interrupt the story, but what 

 does he mean by " I say, bor?" 



E.-A. " Bor," in our dialect, is a defective noun mas- 

 culine of address, used only in the vocative case ; " mor," 

 is the corresponding feminine. If I were to give orders 

 to two of my servants, " John, bor, do this; Mary, mor, 

 do that," they would quite understand the phrase, 

 though they might smile at my using it. " Mor," how- 

 ever, has a nominative case, which is "mawther," a 

 country girl. But we shall lose the Nightingale. 



B.-C. Niver fear, Sar; I Ve baited my trap better 

 than the bootiful Police did his. Yow 'd 'a thowt he 'd 

 a slumped into a pritty mess, wouldn't ye, Sar? No 

 sech a thing in the book! This here, gen'lemin, is 

 a lively meal-wurrum, an' '11 be sartin to take. Keep 

 yow still ! (Bird-catcher steals into the copse where the 

 bird is singing, places the trap upon the ground, steals 

 further on, and whistles a low plaintive note; Night- 

 ingale hears, and follows in the same direction, sees the 

 meal-worm, marches deliberately up to it, tugs at the bait, 

 causes the trap to fall, and is caught.) There, Sar, he 's 

 a nice 'un, and I Ve got him good tidily quick. 



C. Simple creature ! How his little heart beats ! 

 But will he be a good bird when I get him home ? 



B.-C. Can't answer for that, Sar, as yit; we didn't 

 hear enough on him. " They 'on't all on 'em turn out 

 alike. Some ba'ds sing like Jenny Lind, and other 

 some no better 'an a mawther. 



E.-A. You remember Pliny makes their singing a 

 matter of skill. " Ac ne quis dubitet artis esse, plures 

 singulis sunt cantus, nee iidem omnibus, sed sui cuique. " * 

 * Lib. x. 43. 



