The Zoologist— September, 1866. 353 



The Birds of Shakespeare. By J. E. Harting, F.Z.S. 



"The instruction which may be drawn from Shakespeare is equal 

 to the entertainment which his writings aflTord. We cannot peruse his 

 works without having our understandings considerably enlarged. To 

 promote, therefore, the knowledge of him is to contribute to general 

 improvement. * ° 



If Shakespeare is worth reading, moreover, he is worth explaining, 

 and without a complete inquiry into his allusions the spirit of his 

 r"?R V r;'?' ^f ^'''^y ""derstood or appreciated. Pennant, in 

 ^is British Zoology, remarks that it is incumbent on every lover of 

 Science to attempt placing the labours of ancient authors in a iust 

 ight ; to mark those errors that owe their origin to the darkness of 

 the times ; and to evince that many of their allusions are strictly true, 

 niany founded on truth, while many others contain a mixture of fable 

 and reality which certainly merit the trouble of separation 



It IS plain that Shakespeare had much reading at least, if they will 

 not call It learning. Whatever object of Nature or branch of Science 

 he either speaks of or describes, it is always with competent if not 

 exclusive knowledge ; his descriptions are still exact ; all his 

 me aphors appropriate, and remarkably drawn from the true nature 

 and inherent qualities of each subjecl.f Indeed, it was the opinion 

 of Dr. Johnson that Shakespeare commonly derived his knowledge of 

 Nature from his own observation, and no one can fail to be delighted 

 with the variety and richness of the images which he has derived 

 trom Natural History. 



Having, from a mere love of the subject and admiration for the 

 poet, carefully perused his plays, to ascertain what knowledge he 

 possessed respecting birds, our inquiry has resulted in the following 

 notes which it is conceived, will be found of sufficient interest to 

 entertain all lovers of birds. 



We have extracted every sentence of note in which there is any 

 allusion to birds, explaining where explanation seemed necessary 

 and occasionally illustrating from other authors. It may with truth be 

 said that there are many passages in Shakespeare's plays which, to 

 one unacquainted with the habits of birds or ignorant of the terms 

 employed in falconry, would be wholly unintelligible, but which 

 being interpreted, are found to contain the most beautiful and forcible 

 * Prospectus to Stockdale's edition, 8vo, 1784. f Pope. 



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