ON THE SINGING OF BIRDS. 
chiefly from contending with another bird, or 
indeed against almost any sort of continued 
noise. 
Superiority in song gives to birds a most 
amazing ascendency over each other ; as is well 
known to the bird-catchers by the fascinating 
power of their call-birds, which they contrive 
should moult prematurely for this purpose. 
But, to shew decisively that the singing of a 
bird in the spring does not arise from any atten- 
tion to its mate, a very experienced catcher 
of nightingales hath informed me, that some of | 
these birds have jerked the instant they were 
caught. He hath also brought to me a night- 
ingale, which had been but a few hours in a 
cage, and which burst forth in a roar of song. 
At the same time this bird is so sulky on its 
first confinement, that he must be crammed for 
seven or eight days, as he will otherwise not 
feed himself; it is also necessary to tye his 
wings, to prevent his killing himself against 
the top or sides of the cage. 
I believe there is no instance of any bird’s 
singing which exceeds our black bird in size ; 
and possibly this may arise from the diffi- 
culty of its concealing itself, if it called the 
attention of its enemies, not only by bulk, 
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