KEDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



83 



JUlHttt. 



The Naturalist. No. 36. Groombridge 

 and Sons. 



Among the varied articles in this number 

 of our elder brother, is one from which we 

 propose to make a few extracts. We allude 

 to the " Visit to the Grounds of Terrick 

 House ; " which details what the writer, Mr. 

 S. Stone (of Brighthampton) saw there in 

 the way of feathered residents, or visitants. 

 We are not going to pilfer from these inte- 

 resting observations ; but we feel pleasure in 

 giving Mr. Stone's preliminary observations. 

 They are quite in accordance with the tone 

 of Our Journal, and will be perused with 

 delight by all who really love to see birds 

 " happy." 



Our recent observations on the cruelty of 

 "Naturalists" who so remorselessly slay 

 every living thing that is " curious," have 

 excited more than common attention. Our 

 contemporary, the " Times," — and indeed 

 nearly all the public journals, have given 

 extensive currency to what fell from our pen. 

 We sincerely hope it may produce some good 

 result ; for it is lamentable to hear (so-called) 

 " lovers of nature " boasting of their deeds 

 of blood, and triumphing in their acts of in- 

 defensible cruelty. 



But now let us hear what Mr. Stone has 

 to say. He prefaces his visit thus : — 



Birds and other animals are found to vary 

 somewhat in their habits, at different times in 

 different localities, and also in different indivi- 

 duals. We cannot, therefore, hope to meet with 

 a history of birds, quadrupeds, &c, approaching 

 completeness, until a perfect knowledge of these 

 various habits and peculiarities is gained ; and 

 the only way to obtain this knowledge is for 

 each district to be provided with its " constant 

 observer," and for each observer to publish the 

 result of his observations. 



To recline upon a well-cushioned sofa in a 

 well-appointed drawing-room, gazing upon the 

 beaming countenance of some " fair denizen of 

 earth ;" or listening to the music of " the last 

 new opera " her fair fingers cause to proceed 

 from the instrument at which she is seated; or 

 to the words of a favorite air that opera con- 

 tains, warbled from the sweet throat — may be a 

 situation enjoyable enough, especially in winter; 

 but give me, in summer, a seat on or near the 

 top of some " greenwood tree." Let me listen to 

 the music of "the minstrels of the grove," as 

 they sit warbling their '* native wood notes wild," 

 and pouring forth hymns of praise to their Great 

 Creator; let me gaze on the fair forms of these 

 "free denizens of the air," as, according to their 

 several habits, they may be seen, — now flitting 

 from spray to spray, now mounting on soaring 

 wing, now dropping from a neighboring tree-top 

 to the shelter of the underwood, now sailing 

 about in the upper regions of the air " with 

 wings expanded and motionless." Now dashing 

 with impetuous velocity round the tower of the 



distant church, now skimming the surface of 

 pond or lake, now rowing placidly and noiselessly 

 upon — now splashing, flapping, and diving noisily 

 and impetuously through and under its waters. 

 Now cleaving the liquid air in straight, rapid, 

 arrow-like, and onward flight, now describing a 

 series of semicircles, or dancing about on the 

 wing, " with odd jerks and gesticulations ; " 

 now darting from a neighboring thicket to pick 

 up, at the distance of several paces, some small 

 insect. You deem it next to impossible that 

 it could have discerned so small an object at 

 so great a distance; and apparently concealed, 

 too, amongst the herbage. The fact, however, 

 of its darting directly to the spot, and then and 

 there seizing upon the said insect, convinces 

 you that it must have done so ; and you infer 

 from the circumstance that its organs of vision 

 must have telescopic, microscopic, or other powers 

 which your own have not. 



Birds were considered by the Eev. Gilbert 

 White " to be somewhat wild and shy in propor- 

 tion to their size ;" to this may be added they are 

 also wild and shy in proportion to the degree of 

 persecution they meet with. It is astonishing 

 the confidence most species will exhibit, when 

 for any length of time they have met an asylum, 

 and a consequent immunity from persecution and 

 annoyance. And here I cannot refrain from ex- 

 pressing my entire concurrence in, and warmly 

 pressing upon the attention of others, the humane 

 and most excellent suggestion of Mr. Kobt. Gray, 

 that the use of the telescope might supersede that 

 of the deadly fowling-piece. A circumstance 

 which occurred to myself some time since, serves 

 to place the advantages that might accrue from 

 the use of the former instrument over the latter, 

 in a strong light. I was walking in the neighbor- 

 hood of Cokethorpe Park, when a bird flew past ; 

 and at the distance of about a hundred yards 

 beyond me, alighted on a spray in the hedge, 

 where it remained for several minutes ; the bird 

 had so much the appearance of a Cuckoo (Cuculus 

 canorus), that I felt more than half inclined to set 

 it down as one ; still it is possible that it might 

 have been the Merlin (Falco cesalon). I was 

 prevented from approaching nearer, even had the 

 bird been disposed to have permitted it, by an in- 

 surmountable fence which intervened, and along- 

 side which I was walking. Now a gun would 

 have been of no manner of service in this instance, 

 while a telescope would have been of the greatest 

 use, for it would have enabled me to have placed 

 the identity of the bird beyond a doubt ; in this I 

 should have felt much interested, never having 

 personally met with an instance of the Cuckoo re- 

 maining in this country so late in the season as 

 October 26, by nearly two months. Ihis is one 

 of the many instances in which the telescope 

 might be advantageously employed instead of the 

 gun. It frequently happens that we merely wish 

 to ascertain to what species a bird may belong ; 

 this the gun will only enable us to do by pos- 

 sessing ourselves of the dead or mutilated body, 

 which may be of no use to us whatever ; while the 

 telescope would enable us as effectually to satisfy 

 ourselves upon the point, without the sacrifice of 

 the life of the bird, which cannot fail grievously 

 to mar the pleasures of the humane ornithologist's 

 studies, besides tending seriously to lessen his op- 



