200 History of Nature. [BooK X . 



that they are now extinct, when those still continue in 

 Abundance which human Appetite consumes. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

 Of Nocturnal Birds. 



OF Foreigners, one who is called Hylas is thought to 

 have written learnedly concerning Auguries. He reporteth 



averting the omen. The science was divided into two portions : one of 

 which referred to the auspices, or the view of birds ; and the other, which 

 more especially bore the name of augury abavium garritu consisted 

 in attending to the sounds uttered by birds. The birds themselves that 

 afforded these prognostications were supposed to be moved ab anima 

 sua, by an inward action proceeding from the influence of Deity : those 

 which by their singing attracted the attention of the augurs, were termed 

 Oscines (Ch. xxix.) : a name which thus became a denomination for all 

 singing-birds : such as were supposed to signify that an action ought not 

 to be persevered in were called Prohibltorice (Ch. xiv.), and the word 

 obscene was simply descriptive of birds of ill omen, although the term 

 has been subsequently applied with another meaning. A journal of the 

 transactions of this college of religious naturalists was kept of the occur- 

 rence of every rare event, and the appearance of every strange bird, 

 coloured representations of which were drawn, for reference on any future 

 emergency. For the conveniency of official observation, a measured 

 space, termed Pomarium, round the walls of the city, and separating it 

 from the country, was kept free from buildings or enclosures ; and the 

 Palatine hill of Rome was in old time excluded from the city and the 

 Pornserium, because it was the resort of birds of ill omen. Spaces in the 

 sky were measured out by the official staff; and the birds themselves 

 were arranged in classes, to render the rules of prognostication more pre- 

 cise. An augur who entered into the spirit of his profession was neces- 

 sarily skilful in ornithology ; but those who were more speculative would 

 make additions to species or classes, whic'h the experience of others would 

 fail to confirm. The public terror was thus entirely in the power of the 

 augurs, for even a slight change of structure, discovered when the bird 

 was cut asunder for sacrifice, was deemed a portent : and there are proofs 

 that some among them might be induced to shape their reports in 

 a manner to suit private purposes. The opinion of Accius on augurs is 

 thus given : 



" Nihil credo auguribus, qui aures verbis divitant 



Alienas, suas ut auro locupletent domos." 

 Went. Club. 



