20 



KIDB'S LONDON JOURNAL. 



surf falling on the sea-beach at measured inter- 

 vals — a low hollow roar, protracted until it dies 

 away along the sinuous shore, the memorial of a 

 fierce but transitory sea-breeze. But there are 

 sweeter sounds than these. The mocking-bird 

 takes his seat on the highest twig of the orange 

 tree at my feet, and pours forth his rich and so- 

 lemn gushes of melody, with such an earnestness 

 as if his soul were in his song. A rival from a 

 neighboring tree commences a similar strain; 

 and now the two birds exert all their powers, 

 each striving his utmost to out-sing the other, 

 until the silence of the lonely night rings with 

 bursts and swells, and tender cadences of me- 

 lodious song. Here and there, over the pasture, 

 the intermittent green spark of the firefly flits 

 along ; and at the edges of the bounding woods, 

 scores of twinkling lights are seen, appearing 

 and disappearing in the most puzzling manner. 

 Three or four bats are silently winging along 

 through the air, now passing over the face of the 

 vertical moon like tiny black specks, now darting 

 through the narrow arch beneath the steps, and 

 now flitting so close over head that one is tempted 

 to essay their capture with an insect net. The 

 light of the moon, however, though clearly re- 

 vealing their course, is not powerful or precise 

 enough for this, and the little nimble leather 

 wings pursue their giddy play in security." 



We must take our leave for the present, 

 by bringing under our readers' notice, the 

 account of — 



" The Venus Lizard. — One day in February, 

 having ascended the ridge with a companion, 

 my attention was arrested by a lizard about a 

 foot long, and of a lively green color, on the trunk 

 of a small tree, head downward, intently watch- 

 ing our motions as we stood near. My young 

 friend suggested the possibility of capturing it by 

 slipping a noose over its head, while its attention 

 was engaged by whistling. I laughingly pro- 

 ceeded to try the spell; and having made a noose 

 of small twine, which I tied to the end of a switch, 

 I gently walked towards him whistling a lively 

 tune. To my astonishment, he allowed me to 

 slip the noose over his head, merely glancing his 

 bright eye at the string as it passed. I jerked 

 the switch; the music ceased; and the green- 

 coated forester was sprawling in the air, dangling 

 greatly to his annoyance at the end of my string. 

 He was very savage, biting at everything near ; 

 presently his color began to change from green 

 to blackish, till it was of an uniform blueish black, 

 with darker bands on the body, and a brownish 

 black on the tail ; the only trace of green was 

 just around the eyes. I carefully secured, with- 

 out injuring him, and brought him home in the 

 collecting basket ; into which I had no sooner 

 put him, than he fiercely seized a piece of linen 

 in his teeth, and would not let it go for several 

 hours. I transferred him to a wired cage, linen 

 and all; and at length he suddenly let go his 

 hold, and flew wildly about the cage, biting at 

 anything presented to him. At night, I ob- 

 served him vividly green as at first; a token, as I 

 presumed, that he had in some measure recovered 

 his equanimity. The next day he continued 

 very fierce. I hung the cage out in the sun. 

 Two or three times in the course of the day, I 



observed him green; but for the most part he 

 was black. The changes were quickly accom- 

 plished. After he had been in my possession 

 about four days, I observed him one morning 

 sloughing his skin; the delicate epidermis, 

 loosened from the body and legs, looked like a 

 garment of thin white muslin, split irregularly 

 down the legs and toes, and separated from that 

 of the tail, on which the integument yet adhered 

 unbroken. Throughout the day, the loosened 

 skin hung about the animal, though more and 

 more loosely. He had not abated a whit of his 

 fierceness ; leaping at a stick pointed at him, and 

 seizing it forcibly with his teeth. 



" Another individual, caught in the same lo- 

 cality and by the same device, I introduced into 

 the cage of the former, who did not offer any 

 molestation to the intruder. After they had re- 

 mained in my possession, the one about six 

 weeks, and the other about four, they both died, 

 almost on the same day, and both in the process 

 of sloughing. In this operation, the skin appears 

 to be first separated from the head ; for in one of 

 these it was perfectly loose from the whole head, 

 and was removable in one piece, but to the neck 

 and entire body it still adhered by organic union. 

 I suspect that the sloughing of the skin is, at 

 least sometimes, the result of universal excitement. 

 All that I have taken alive and caged (amount- 

 ing to many individuals), after most violent be- 

 havior at first, soon sloughed ; usually the very 

 next day." 



Favorite Song Birds; interspersed with Choice 

 Passages from the Poets. — Edited by H. G. 

 Adams. 12mo. W. S. Orr and Co. 



It appears to have been so ruled by the 

 Fates, that on ourselves should devolve the 

 necessity, perhaps the misfortune, of writing 

 "Popular Treatises on the Treatment of Birds 

 in Confinement.''' 1 The author of this book 

 was born under a happier planet; and seems 

 to sing of the feathered tribes who roam 

 the fields at large, as if he were one of 

 themselves, and understood their language. 



We can fancy Mr. Adams — and we should 

 like well to be in his company — ranging the 

 fields, and the lanes, the woods, and the 

 forests ; and picture his delight as the 

 lark rises on the wing, and carols its 

 early praise for the safe repose of the night. 



Every page of this book on " Song Birds" 

 is richly illustrated by apposite quotations 

 from the Poets ; Poets with whose fancies 

 and inspirations Mr. Adams is identified in 

 the highest degree. We should imagine 

 that he must have ransacked all the trea- 

 sures of a well-stored library, to have ac- 

 quired so much avicular lore. 



Having done him justice as a "poet," 

 we must prove the truth of our remarks ; 

 which we cannot do better than by letting 

 some of his well-selected passages nestle in 

 our pages. They will be recognised as 

 literary gems, and extend the taste for the 

 " sublime and beautiful." 



