4o8 UTILITARIAN ZOOLOGY 



poetry. In fables, from the time of ^sop downwards, they 

 often supply the principal characters. Sterne has immortalized 

 the Starling, Shakespeare and Shelley the Sky- Lark, Poe and 

 Dickens the Raven, Aristophanes and Thoreau the Frog. Other 

 examples are scattered broadcast through the literatures of the 

 world, and to name them would be a work of supererogation. 

 They often supply the motif for poetic efforts which express our 



b e d 



V V V 



y 



Fig. 1285. — Evolution of V. a, Egyptian hieroglj'phic; ^, abbreviation of same; c, Phcenician form; d, final form. 



sympathy with Nature, and appeal more particularly to those 

 of us who are counted among the worshippers of "the great god 

 Pan". The poem "Enchanted Tones", by J. S. Welhaven, may 

 serve to illustrate this point, and it will be unknown to most 

 readers, for its native lancruag-e is Norwegian. 



"A bird flew over the pine-clad hill 



Of the old, old legends singing, 

 And carried me out of life's beaten way 



Into dreamland's dim beginning. 

 I came to the moorland's secret spring 



Where fairies their thirst were slaking, 

 But ever those magical notes I heard 



'Alidst the sighs that the breeze was making. 



" I stood in the beech-trees' silver shade 



As the sunset rays low slanted, 

 When glimmered the dew in the darkling glade 



And on hill shone like gold enchanted: 

 Then rustled the branches, a sound drew nigh 



As of wings that were rising and falling, 

 And ever from fell-top, and ever from tree 



Those magical flute-notes were calling. 



" Away in the woodland, far away. 



Is the songster's leafy dwelling, 

 From under the |)ine-trees, ever and aye. 



His melody's tide is swelling; 

 And though I never may reach his home, 



The song there is no forgetting, 

 That sounded sweet when eve's dewy wings 



Shut soft as the sun was setting." 



