Natural Hijlory of the Ancients. 1 77 



beauties in Virgil's ornithological pictures. The 

 exacl: manner in which he defcribes, often in a 

 line, the chief characters of a bird, and adds a 

 new delight to its traits by fome play of fancy 

 fome lively touch of imagination' becomes very 

 apparent on a furvey of his poems. Scientific 

 ornithology, of courfe, no one would look for in 

 a poet, efpecially a poet of Virgil's age. Has the 

 " fea-blue bird of March " been ever fatisfac- 

 torily identified in the Laureate's poetry ? Virgil 

 alludes to the migration of birds, for inftance, 

 once or twice, but never troubles himfelf to 

 enunciate a theory upon their departure or return. 

 They bring back fpring on their wings, and return 

 to their fweet nefts and dear offspring, and that 

 is enough for him. In a fimilar manner we mall 

 content ourfelves with pointing out the nice ob- 

 fervation and the poetic mind with which fome of 

 the birds of North Italy are defcribed in his verfe. 

 The furvey will mew how eminently naturalistic 

 is his poetry in the midft of fo much that is 

 imitative and conventional. 



It may be faid generally that the "Eclogues" 

 and "Georgics" exhibit a more genial fancy, and 

 more ftriking images of bird-life, but that the 

 "^neid," as befits a work of mature years, is 

 ftudded with more carefully finimed workmanmip. 

 That the poet was continually improving, and adding 

 frefh touches to it, is proved by his folicitude 

 concerning the poem at his death, and his wifh 

 that it mould be burnt after his deceafe, as not 

 fatisfying his own ideal. With thefe preliminary 



