198 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



and harmonious proportions and colouring, the 

 haziness imparts an additional grace ; but it does not 

 make beautiful the objects which are ugly in them- 

 selves, as, for instance, an ugly square house. So in 

 the etherealizing effect of distance on sound, when 

 so loud a sound as the crowing of a strong-lunged 

 cock becomes dreamy and tender at a distance of 

 one hundred yards, there must be good musical 

 elements in it to begin with. I do not remark this 

 dreaminess in the notes of other birds, some crowing 

 at an equal distance, others still further away* All 

 natural music is heard best at a distance ; like the 

 chiming of bells, and the music of the flute, and the 

 wild confused strains of the bagpipes, for among 

 artificial sounds these come the nearest to those made 

 by nature* The " shrill sharps " of the thrush must 

 be softened by distance to charm ; and the sky- 

 lark, when close at hand, has both shrill and harsh 

 sounds scarcely pleasing. He must mount high 

 before you can appreciate his merit. I do not re- 

 commend any one to keep a caged cock in his study 

 for the sake of its music, crow it never so well. 



To return to the ten cockerels ; they did not 

 crow very much, and at first I paid little attention 

 to them. After a few days I remarked that one 

 individual among them was rapidly acquiring the 

 clear vigorous strain of the adult bird. Compared 

 with that fine note which I have described, it was 



