398 



NOTES. 



body of the insect any extraneous matter immediately becomes attached to it, and 

 the impurities thus collected are ultimately expelled by a fresh discharge of mucus 

 and a peculiar motion of the papillae. 1 ' page 770. 



Again we impress it on those who take interest in these curious 

 researches to repeat the ingenious experiments of Mr. Blackwall, which, 

 we confess, are by no means so satisfactory to us as they appear to be 

 to the worthy author. 



NOTES, 



BY RURICOLA. 



In the delightful description of spring, with which Chaucer com- 

 mences the " Prologue" to his " Canterbury Tales/' he commemorates it 

 as the season, when 



" smale foules maken melodie, 



That slepen alle night with open eye, 

 So priketh hem nature in her corages." 



That some of our little songsters are very wakeful at that season, and 

 pass a portion at least of the night in singing, or ie making melody," as 

 the poet says, is well known. Milton, indeed, goes so far as to affirm 

 of " the wakeful nightingale," 



" She all night long her amorous descant sung." 



Par. Lost, iv. 603. 



If applied to such a case, Chaucer's phrase, " with open eye," would 

 require no explanation or justification. But that birds when they 

 sleep, " sleep with open eye," is a property attributed to them_> con- 

 cerning which I should be glad to be informed whether the position is 

 physically good. 



In the course of the last spring, one of my family took a nest of three 

 greenfinches, or green linnets, which had been a few days hatched, and 

 succeeded in rearing them by hand. In about four weeks, when they 

 appeared strong enough to make their own way in the world, they 

 were turned into a large cage, containing several canaries, a couple of 

 bulfinches, two or three goldfinches, a redpole, and a grey linnet, 

 among whom they immediately made their way as well as the best of 

 their companions. But what particularly took my attention was that 



