82 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 



season, the contending songsters of the grove, and the va- 

 riety of sound proceeding from every thing that has utter- 

 ance, confuse and almost render inaudible the placid voice 

 of the woodlark. It delights to fix its residence near little 

 groves and copses, or quiet pastures, and is a very unob- 

 trusive bird, not uniting in companies, but associating in 

 its own little family parties only, feeding in the woodlands 

 on seeds and insects. Upon the approach of man, it crouches 

 close to the ground, then suddenly darts away, as if for a 

 distant flight, but settles again almost immediately. This 

 lark will often continue its song, circle in the air, a scarcel}' 

 visible speck, by the hour together; and the vast distance 

 from which its voice reaches us in a calm day, is almost 

 incredible. In the scale of comparison, it stands imme- 

 diately below the nightingale in melody and plaintiveness; 

 but compass of voice is given to the linnet, a bird of very 

 inferior powers. The strength of the larynx and of the 

 muscles of the throat in birds, is infinitely greater than in 

 the human race. The loudest shout of the peasant is but a 

 feeble cry, compared with that of the golden-eyed duck, 

 the wild goose, or even this lark. The sweet song of this 

 poor little bird, with a fate like that of the nightingale, 

 renders it an object of capture and confinement, which few 

 of them comparatively survive. I have known our country 

 birdcatchers take tliem by a very simple but efleciual me- 

 thod. AVatching (hem to the ground, the wings of a hawk, 

 or of the brown owl, stretched out, are drawn against the 

 current of air by a string, as a paper kite, and made to 

 flutter and vibrate like a kestrel, over the place where 

 the woodlark has lodged; which so intimidates the bird, 

 that it remains crouching, and motionless as a stone, on 

 the ground; a hand-net is brought over it, and it is 

 caught. 



From various little scraps of intelligence scattered 

 through the sacred and ancient writings, it appears certain, 

 as it was reasonable to conclude, that the notes now used 

 by birds, and the voices of animals, are the same as uttered 

 by their earliest progenitors. The language of man, with- 

 out any reference to the confusion accomplished at Babel, 

 has been broken into innumerable dialects, created or com- 

 pounded as his wants occurred, or his ideas prompted; or 

 obtained by intercourse with others, as mental enlargement 

 or novelty necessitated new words to express new senti- 

 ments. Could we find a peoj^le from .Tapan or the Pole, 

 whose progress in mind has been stationary, without in- 

 crease of idea, from national prejudice or impossibility of 

 communication with others, we probably should find little 

 or no alteration in the original language of that people; so, 

 by analogy of reasoning, the animal, having no idea to 

 prompt, no new want to express, no converse with others, 

 (for a note caught and uttered merely, is like a boy mock- 



ing the cuckoo,) so no new language is acquired. With 

 civilized man, every thing is progressive; with animals, 

 where there is no mind, all is stationary. Even the voice 

 of one species of birds, except in particular cases, seems 

 not to be attended to by another species. That peculiar 

 call of the female cuckoo, which assembles so many con- 

 tending lovers, and all the various amatorial and caressing 

 language of others, excites no influence generally, that I 

 am aware of; with all but the individual species, it is a 

 dialect unknown. I know but one note, wl-ich animals 

 make use of, that seems of universal comprehension, and 

 this is the signal of danger. The instant that is uttered, 

 we hear the whole flock, though composed of various spe- 

 cies, repeat a separate moan, and away they all scuttle into 

 the bushes for safety. The reiterated " twink, twink" of 

 the chafllnch, is known by every little bird, as information 

 of some prowling cat or weasel. Some give the maternal 

 hush to their young, and mount to inquire into the jeopardy 

 announced. The wren, that tells of perils from the hedge, 

 soon collects about her all the various inquisitive species 

 within hearing, to survey and ascertain the object, and add 

 their separate fears. The swallow, that shrieking darts in 

 devious flight through the air, when a hawk appears, not 

 onh^ calls up all the hirundines of the village, but is instantly 

 understood by every finch and sparrow, and its warning 

 attended to. As nature, in all her ordinations, had 'a fixed 

 design and foreknowledge, it may be tliat each species had 

 a separate voice assigned it, that each jnight continue as 

 created, distinct and unmixed: and the very few deviations 

 and admixtures that have taken place, considering the lapse 

 of time, association and opportunity, united with the pro- 

 hibition of continuing accidental deviations, are very 

 remarkable, and indicate a cause and original motive. 

 That some of the notes of birds are, as language, designed 

 to convey a meaning, is obvious, from the very diflerent 

 sounds uttered by these creatures at particular periods: the 

 spring voices becomes changed as summer advances, and 

 the acquirements of the early season have ceased; the sum- 

 mer excitements, monitions, informations, are not needed 

 in autumn, and the notes conveying such intelligences are 

 no longer heard. The periodical calls of animals, croaking 

 of frogs, &c. afford the sa-me reasons for concluding that 

 the sound of their voices by elevation, depression, or mo- 

 dulation, conveys intelligence equivalent to an uttered 

 sentence. The voices of birds seem applicable in most 

 instances to the immediate necessities of their condition; 

 such as the sexual call, the invitation to unite when dis- 

 persed, the moan of danger, the shriek of alarm, the notice 

 of food. But there are other notes, the designs and motives 

 of which are not so obvious. One sex only is gifted with 

 the power of singing, for the purpose, as Butfon supposed, 



