54 ORNITHOLOGIST S TEXT-BOOK. 



" The House Sparrows, Chaffinches, noisy became; — 

 But their notes, void of melody, always the same. 

 Sea Eagles and Buzzards, and Ospreys, were there — 

 Those who give of their nests to the Grakles a share. 

 The Hover Hawk came, too, tho' loth to renounce 

 His strong inclination on Pigeons to pounce ; 

 On his librating wing he was oft seen apart, 

 And appear'd on his prey ever ready to dart. 

 There were Ringtails and Lanners, and Gos-Hawks, a few; 

 And the Falcons, like aides-de-camp, round about flew ; 

 The Kite, too, slow moving, was seen 'midst the host, 

 Many Fulmars and Razorbills came from the coast. 

 Some Pheasants were there, too, hi robes of bright dye ; 

 The Rooks, e'er gregarious, came soaring on high ; 

 Those whom soon will science instruct us to know, 

 By their white -yellow beaks from the black of the Crow." — 



Although our author appears to have been in a 

 tolerably sweet humour towards the commencement 

 of his lines, yet, long before the conclusion, we 

 might expect to hear him exclaim — 



" But as my lines now hum-drum come, 



Not Noah I am sure, of yore, could with all his lore, 

 four more pour." — Mirror, Vol. 25. 



We had intended to have given a specimen of 

 the Pleasures of Ornithology, hut we find it utterly 

 impossible to drag our pen over lines so totally de- 

 void of poetry. — Alas ! how sadly must the eminent 

 Poets and Naturalists, whose names we find on the 

 list of subscribers, have been disappointed on pe- 

 rusing the pages of Ornilhologia — if indeed they 

 had patience to proceed beyond the first page. Is 

 it possible to conceive such men as Sir W. Jardine, 

 General Hardwicke,Thomas Bell,Children,Crabbe, 

 Dr. Horsfield, Dr. Latham, Sabine, Southey, Sweet, 

 Vigors, or Yarrell, gravely sitting down to read 

 such trashy pages as those of Ornilhologia and 

 Pleasures of Ornithology ? The original cost of 

 this book is fifteen shillings. Will our readers be 



